


The Precedent of Hatsune Miku - Machine Muzik

by Aura X-Y (Aurya)



Series: Underground Vocaloids [3]
Category: Black★Rock Shooter, The World Ends With You, Vocaloid
Genre: Gen, TWEWY elements inspired by Solo Remix, Too many important characters '-.-, Written with complete disregard for common Vocaloid fanon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:36:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 32
Words: 69,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23380312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurya/pseuds/Aura%20X-Y
Summary: The Reaper's Game is meant to change those who survive its trials - regardless of what path they walk after the Game's end. Hatsune Miku has witnessed an individual who was changed almost beyond recognition by the Reaper's Game - and wishes to pay respects to her memory.
Series: Underground Vocaloids [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1127861
Comments: 15
Kudos: 3





	1. Suffering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Yikes, two years? I've been putting this off almost since I got Return up.
> 
> So, after my first two UG Vocaloid stories, I had the idea for a few prequel-type stories revolving around the Reapers. First and foremost, I wanted to explore Calne Ca, because I turned her into an ominous background nightmare. Main reason I hesitated so much was because I was torn between converging all the prequel stories as one work or writing them individually with the same label. Ended up going with the latter.
> 
> I don't want to shoehorn a bunch of Vocaloids I don't know into RG roles when I might be able to make use of them in the UG, so I had to take alternative sources. Some of the characters here are going to be taken from the novel of -Disappearance of Hatsune Miku-. I'd strongly suggest you guys check it out. Others are gonna be continuing my BRS references and be from the Black Rock Shooter video game. I'm gonna try not to be too oblique about that.
> 
> Also, due to the darker story of this one, I don't fancy my chances on naming them after Vocaloid songs, so I'm not gonna try. Reminder for the map of DIVA: https://auraxtreme.deviantart.com/art/DIVA-District-Map-for-Aurya-703975945

DIVA District - or so it was popularly known; a peaceful, if somewhat busy, area on the northwestern edge of the city of Diola. Although there had been certain unpleasantries in the past years, and more than one tragic occurrence lately, the District for Imaginative and Vocal Attitudes yet remained a place where warm-hearted, enjoyable people tended to gather... and those who did not qualify for such a description did their best to avoid being seen in that district.

Swordsman's Square, scissored between Parallel Circuit and Snowdust Street, was host to a kendo dojo, hosted by a long-haired individual known as Kamui Gakupo. On this particular night, as the business hours were ending, Gakupo was inspecting the equipment when the door opened; he quickly spoke up to make sure he was heard from across the room as he proclaimed; "I'm sorry, but we're not currently accepting new students."

"I can read the notice, Kamui," assured a female voice from the entrance. Gakupo turned to find a girl standing there, with her teal hair in twintails and a small smile on her face.

"Hatsune." Gakupo set the shinai he was inspecting down and got to his feet. "What brings you here?" 

Miku stepped towards him. "I wanted to ask a favour."

"Favour?" Gakupo echoed. "I'm not sure what sort of favour you think I can give you. Or did Haku not tell you?"

"She told me," Miku assured him. "It's not about the Game." Her gaze fell. "Well, it's not going to _affect_ the Game."

Gakupo narrowed his gaze. "I'm not capable of changing things about-"

Miku shook her head. "Let me try that again," she interrupted. "I wanted some information, and you're the most likely to have it."

"Okay," Gakupo mused. "Then I may be able to tell you, should I be possessed of the information at all."

"I was hoping you could tell me about Calne Ca."

* * *

"Thank you for waiting. Here's the Cassis Orange for you, and the ginger ale for _you_."

"Two bottles of Zima, please!"

"Coming right up!"

A nightclub isn't the sort of place one would expect to be exceptionally busy on Mondays, but DIVA District didn't much care for expectations - and Cybernation Plaza least of all. A brunette girl in a high school uniform stepped into the antechamber to hear the yells of the patrons and workers trying to be heard over the music. The track currently playing wasn't of an exceptionally dominant composition, but two meters is plenty of distance for music playing over room-filling speakers to drown out casual voices.

As the new arrival glanced around, the bouncer set down his drink to greet her. "ID, please."

"Oh, I'm not here as a patron," the girl explained. "I just have a delivery for someone. Could you tell Juhachi that Shiie is here to see him?"

The bouncer gave her a look, but quickly stepped into the main club area. It only took a moment longer before he returned, followed by a dirty-blonde figure in a black vest with headphones around his neck. "Hey, Shiie!" he greeted. "Your timing's awesome, it's almost my shift in the DJ booth."

Shiie smiled, handing him a memory stick. "Finished mixing the track. Let me know how the crowd likes it."

"Definitely," Juhachi assured her, accepting it and quickly retreating.

The bouncer's expression told her not to stick around and listen to the reactions; she quickly stepped out, finding a woman waiting for her with red hair that was almost pink. "That didn't take long," she observed.

"Were you expecting it to?" Shiie retorted. "I'm not of age to stick around."

"Maybe not," the redhead admitted, "but if Asano had been close enough-"

" _Aika!_ " Shiie interrupted, her face turning red. "For the last time, it's not like that!"

Aika laughed. "You know liking a nice guy isn't anything to be ashamed of, right?" she reprimanded.

"He's been working in the club for two years and I'm barely a sophomore," Shiie argued. "I only know him because I'm friends with his sister. Does that not strike you as just a little questionable?"

"Yoruko knew the risks when she introduced you to him," Aika retorted. "And given she doesn't seem to have a problem with you hanging out around him, I'd say she approves of the-"

"Aika, _shut uuup_ ," Shiie pleaded.

With a grin, Aika shook her head. "If you just bide your time, there's nothing wrong with it," she insisted. "And who knows, Asano might even reciprocate."

Shiie turned away, her blush seeming intent on sticking around until she got home halfway across Diola.

A ringing from Aika's pocket prevented her from continuing the subject; she drew out her phone and found it was an alarm going off. "Oh, shit, is it that late already?" She drove it in and turned to Shiie. "I'm sorry, I gotta stop by Starmine Square before I head back. You alright to get home on your own?"

"Yeah, no worries," Shiie assured her.

Aika gave her a thankful smile before taking off down Amaretto; Shiie started down Silent Beat Alleyway, having a shortcut home between a couple buildings opposite the concert venue. As she slipped out, she drew out her phone, sending a quick text to _Shinosato Yoruko_ to tell her she was en route; they had a school project due in a couple days, and Shiie had more room to hold it at home than the apartment building that the Shinosato siblings shared.

* * *

She was less than a block from her home when trouble struck.

A minor collision had happened outside (or at least, Shiie assumed it was minor, as there were three people arguing around it and no one was unconscious at either wheel), and one of the vehicles had a wheel on the sidewalk. Deciding not to risk angering them, she elected to go in the back door; yet no sooner had she slipped between her home and her neighbor's than she discovered it was a bad idea, as several unpleasant-looking figures were standing in the crossroads between buildings.

For a moment, a massive hooded figure with his back turned to her seemed to obscure her from the group; yet no sooner had she halted on seeing them than he started to turn. This was a hulking brute of a man with a head of orange hair; his garments were strangely stiff, leaving the hood arced over his head, and a spiked decoration of some sort was supported in front of his mouth. His motion drew the attention of the rest of the group, and Shiie froze, terrified, as they observed her.

"Well, now..." A redheaded man in a longcoat trimmed on one side, with what looked like a chain hanging where the other flap should have been, stepped forward tauntingly; there was a tattoo on his ribcage just below the cut hem of the coat, a series of letters she couldn't make out. "And who are you supposed to be?"

"I-I'm sorry," Shiie insisted, "I didn't mean to interrupt." She started to step back. "I'll leave you alo-"

"Karli."

The brute's hand lunged forward with surprising speed, grabbing Shiie by the arm; she screamed as she was dragged forward, thrown into the gathered circle. The one who had spoken - a similarly orange-haired woman wearing a crownlike set of hairpins and a dark dress with long gloves - stepped forward; she, too, had a tattoo of a few letters, hers on her arm, and a glance around revealed the others all had similar tattoos. "Why are you here?"

"I live here," Shiie proclaimed. "Whatever happened on the street is too close to my house, I was just going to-"

A kick to her side cut her off with a yell, causing her to roll away as a white-haired man in a black top and shorts knelt down. "Tell me you don't seriously think we're going to let you take off after you've stumbled onto our business," he reprimanded.

Tears of pain were pouring from her eyes as Shiie tried to rise. "I'm don't know what you're doing," she insisted. "I'm not going to tell anyone about you. Please, just-"

Something _cold_ pouring onto her left arm earned a gasp, and she turned to find a purple-haired woman in a skimpy top and frilly leggings was emptying a bottle of what looked like whiskey of some kind; she quickly sat upright as the woman tutted in reprimand. "Don't ask us to let you go," she reprimanded. "There's no fun in letting someone take off."

"Mii, cut it out," insisted a much younger-looking girl in a more conventional hoodie than the brute (although hers was open, a pair of cross-straps preserving her modesty). "She's not a threat."

"She saw us here," argued the white-head. "She was inconvenienced. She'll connect the dots by tomorrow."

"I'm not going to do anything against you," Shiie pleaded, trying to get to her feet. "Please..."

"Why should we take you at your word?" demanded the longcoated man. "Give us some proof."

Shiie blinked. "H-How can I prove something that hasn't happened yet?" she asked.

The longcoat grinned. "Precisely."

The entire group moved in unison, save for the girl in the hoodie - who had the corner of a building between Shiie and herself. Gunshots rang out in the alley, and she screamed in pain as two sizeable holes were torn through her legs. She fell to the ground, bleeding, and the purple-haired woman drew something out - a pocket lighter. Shiie couldn't even register the motion before it was lit and dropped; the flame hit the puddle of whiskey and spread, blazing onto her arm in short order and flooding her mind with pain. The redhead moved in quick, brandishing a pair of knives the size of his forearms that he drove into the wounds on her legs; the white-haired figure drove his foot into Shiie's remaining arm, and sharpened cleats pierced her skin in short order, drawing blood and tearing at her flesh.

The brute seemed about to step forward before his attention was drawn back towards the street; the woman in the dress raised her gaze, and over Shiie's screams she could hear emergency sirens. "Shit," she muttered. "Emergency responders. That was too fast."

"Get out of here!" yelled the white-hair.

The two orange-haired figures were the first to charge past Shiie; as the others made to follow, a pale-haired figure rounded the corner. "Shiie!"

"Yoruko, don't!" Shiie screamed, raising her hand forward to warn off her friend.

Another gunshot echoed down the alley; as Yoruko stumbled to one side, a hole ripped through Shiie's remaining arm, and she cried out again, her vision going dark from the pain.

Her arm was still alight as she blacked out.

* * *

"...stop them. I'm so sorry..."

"Yoruko, it wasn't your fault. No one could have asked you to intervene in something like that."

Shiie slowly opened her eyes. She was lying on a bed, in a sterile white room; a single window had its curtains drawn. Four figures were standing around her bed; she could make out a patch of pink, a patch of dirty blonde, and two patches of pale blue.

"But I should have-!"

"The emergency responders were already on their way from the crash. No one could have intervened any faster and still gotten away alive."

"Yeah, you shouldn't beat yourself up for something like that?"

She could barely feel her body; it was as though her mind had become disconnected from all the rest. As her vision started to clear, Shiie tried to focus on the face directly before her - a bespectacled man who seemed nervous.

"Asa...no...?"

The group at the foot of her bed turned to face her. "Shiie!" Asano exclaimed.

"What...?" Shiie winced as her friends made to surround her; all of them had tears in their eyes. "What... happened?"

"I'm so sorry," Yoruko pleaded. "Those people behind your house, I-"

"A group of criminals shot out the tires of two cars outside your home," Juhachi explained. "When you tried to go in the back door, they..." He scoffed. "What the hell kind of person tortures someone like that?"

The memories started to rush back to her, and Shiie winced. "Then... this is..."

"The intensive care ward at the northern hospital," Aika confirmed. "I'm sorry, Shiie. I shouldn't have left you on your own."

"They were..." Shiie shook her head. "What happened to me?"

Asano's gaze fell. "They shot you, and attacked the wounds," he observed. "Whatever they were using was of high enough caliber to break your bones clean apart. And the other attacks ruined what was left of your nerves. You..." His gaze fell. "The doctors said..."

Slowly, Shiie turned her gaze down to herself; the blanket on the hospital bed covered her body entirely, yet the silhouette in its surface was too small. As she tried to move, she was terrified by how little deformation the surface had. "No..."

"Don't," Aika pleaded. "If you-"

"No!" Against the advice of her friends, Shiie made to lash her limbs against the cover and throw the blanket off of her.

Only one limb moved.

_Only one limb was there._

Shiie looked over herself in terror. Her left arm was covered in wet bandages, but the movement had jostled them somewhat; the skin beneath was blackened, ruined. Would that the rest of her was so lucky; her right arm and both legs were gone entirely, nothing but stumps left where they had been.

"...No..."

"They couldn't save them," Asano forced out. "There was too much damage. They would never heal. I'm sorry, Shiie."

" _Why..._ "

Shiie closed her eyes - and one would swear that all of Diola heard her tears.

**Eternal Torment  
Chapter Closed**


	2. Demise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Kind of frustrating that starting a work under a pseud doesn't automatically assign that pseud when you start a new chapter.

"So, how did asking Gakupo go?"

Miku sighed at Galaco's question. "He said he's willing to tell me, if I want to know," she admitted. "And then he asked me if I'd rather beat him up with a green onion."

Galaco giggled at the comment. "Why would you want to beat him up at all?" she asked.

"Apparently he thinks I'd still be holding a grudge for him playing along with Gumi's long game," Miku mused, seizing a Star Bit and tossing it into her mouth.

"I did tell you," Galaco observed. "There's not a lot of people left who know about Calne Ca firsthand. Kokone was the last one who was around when she arrived. Gakupo and Gumi would only be able to tell you about when she was GMing."

"Haku already told me her second-hand accounts from Kokone," Miku admitted. "But... if I can hear something more specific..."

Galaco shook her head. "Why are you suddenly so interested in Calne Cantus, anyways?"

Miku's gaze fell. "I just..."

"...Does this have something to do with the invader?" Galaco asked.

"Not directly."

* * *

"Careful... Careful..."

Shiie took a hesitant step forward, and then another. It was almost a month after she'd been attacked behind her home, and she had spent most of that time coming to terms with her newly-limited body. Today, her friends had accompanied her to the Flower Fight Memorial in DIVA District; a set of prosthetics - courtesy of the college robotics lab where Aika and Asano spent their days recording movement data - had been given to Shiie, and she was trying to accustom herself to moving limbs that were not hers.

"The legs shouldn't be giving you too much trouble in the motion department," Aika observed. "Leg and foot motions are largely simplistic. The real difficulty with walking is going to be compensating for uneven surfaces. Anything more uneven than a concrete surface is gonna need you to watch where you step."

"Y-Yeah," Shiie agreed. "It's..." She took another step, watching the prosthetic move beneath her. "They're not... giving me trouble with moving." The mechanics were covered in a thin layer of smooth black plastic, simultaneously offering her insulation from adverse conditions and presenting the illusion of her simply wearing tights... so long as no one looked too closely at her knee or ankle, where the joints were uncovered to avoid limiting anything. "But..."

Aika sighed. "It's different," she observed. "Knowing you're making contact with something and not being able to feel it."

Shiie nodded. "I can... tell when it touches down," she observed, taking another step. "I can feel it, here..." She set a hand over her skirt with her left hand, making contact with the stump of her leg where the prosthetic was mounted. "There's a little vibration. But I can't feel what's under my foot."

Yoruko glanced down at her shoes, kicking the surface underneath her. "Didn't you wear, like, platform shoes with an inch of sole?" she asked. "Were you really able to feel what's under your foot before?"

A smile appeared on Shiie's face as she looked up to Yoruko. "I guess I didn't, really..."

She found herself giggling, and her friends joined in - and for a brief moment, their difficulties were forgotten. Then the laughter faded out, and Shiie took another step, 

Asano sighed. "The hand is where you'll really be having trouble," he observed. "Fingers are capable of so many more complex motions. A fist, or grasping something, should be easy enough. It's moving the fingers individually that gives us problems. We've never gotten higher than 85% accuracy with something like an 'OK' sign."

"85% should be plenty close, shouldn't it?" Shiie mused. "I mean, I know there's the whole 'one day this will be used in space, and there's no margin for error in a vacuum' thing you guys keep talking about, but for everyday life..."

Footsteps from Two Kind Walk drew their attention; Juhachi had arrived with a bag full of drinks. "Sorry it took me so long," he apologized. "Why does a cashier at a drink shop have to take ten minutes to scan five drinks?"

"You weren't even gone ten minutes," Aika retorted.

"You know what I mean," Juhachi protested; the group sat down at one of the flower beds as he handed out the drinks. "By the way, Shiie. The club's been loving your tracks."

Shiie smiled, her left hand closing around the can she was handed. "Really?"

"Yeah," Juhachi confirmed. "V keeps getting requests while he's away from the booth to turn them on, and has to tell people 'I don't have those songs, wait until Eighteen gets his shift."

"Couldn't you have just moved the files to the club's system?" Shiie argued. "I don't see how-"

She cut herself off as her right hand made contact with the can, her attention going to it. The heel of her palm had barely made contact with the ridge of the can, and her fingers were halfway to a fist. Her face fell as she tried to focus; her hand rotated to be palm-down, and she tried to curl her fingers in. Her index and middle fingers skipped past the sides of the tab; she moved them aside so her middle finger would be centered on it, only for the rounded fingertips of her prosthetic to skid over the ridge without hooking on it.

With a deep breath, she removed her hand from the top of the can and grasped it from the side. She carefully released it with her left hand, and moved to crack the tab with those fingers; as her hand connected with the ridge, the can slid downward through her grasp, and her attempts to adjust her grip ended up releasing it entirely. The can fell to the ground between her feet, not breaking open but clattering unpleasantly, and Shiie gasped as her hand closed into a fist where it had been.

"I-I'm sorry," Asano pleaded. "I should've-"

"No," Shiie interrupted. "It's my own fault... I should've been more careful." Slowly, she reached down and picked up the fallen can in her right arm, setting it against the ridge of the flowerbed. Then she lifted her hand away, and her left hand came forward, bracing it against the surface as she seized the tab and cracked it open, now glad she hadn't asked for something carbonated.

The can was picked up in her right hand, and she brought it around so her left could close around it as well. The false arm looked natural enough, but refused to answer her commands as she wanted it to; the real arm served her on its own, but was scarred by flame, sensitive at the touch, and showing all the world that she had been victim to dreadful suffering.

Tears welled in her eyes, and she closed them to let them fall.

* * *

Asano called the night off at the club; he and Yoruko took Shiie to a sushi restaurant just outside DIVA, hoping to lift her spirits somewhat. Alas, as they stepped out of the building, her steps were still shaky, prompting Asano to speak up. "Should I take you home?"

"Y-Yeah," Shiie agreed. "That's probably for the best. Thank you."

"No worries," Asano assured her. "I don't want you to be alone if you run into that group again."

"And who exactly is 'that group', then?"

The heavy voice drew the trio's attention; standing not ten paces away was a tanned, muscular figure, with white hair of shoulder length. He was wearing a black hakama and no top, although a pair of black straps were crossed over his chest; on his shoulder, positioned so it faced forward, were the letters _SAHA_ in black.

Shiie raised her left arm before herself. "You're... with them...!" As she ran over the encounter in her mind, she realized a discrepancy. "But you weren't-!"

Asano made to put himself between her and the confrontor. "Who are you?"

"My name is Zaha," the man introduced. "I've come to clean up after those fools."

"What is the meaning of this?" Asano demanded. "Why did you lot attack her without provocation?"

"She intruded on their conversation," Zaha proclaimed, "and intended to run with the knowledge she gleaned. That's plenty of provocation, for us." He shook his head. "But they were careless enough to play with their victim, and left her alive when they ran off." 

"You-!"

Zaha stormed forward; Asano tried to defend and found himself winded by a harsh blow to the stomach, followed swiftly by a cross to the jaw. His glasses had barely hit the ground before Zaha twisted around, landing a harsh blow that knocked him to the concrete.

"No!" Yoruko panicked, moving to stand in Zaha's way. "Shiie, run!"

"Don't, Yoruko-!"

Shiie hadn't even had the chance to warn her off before Zaha brought his elbow up, slamming it into Yoruko's temple; the girl crumpled under the blow, slumping to the ground, and Shiie stepped back fearfully as Zaha stepped over her.

"What's this?" the attacker demanded. "Not even going to try to run?"

"I... can't..." Shiie shook her head. "Why...?"

Zaha scoffed, reaching into a pocket in his hakama. "Why not?"

Terror, disability, and an inability to comprehend; Shiie was paralyzed, unable to even react as he drew out a firearm and pulled the trigger.

**Wanton Cruelty  
** **Chapter Closed**


	3. Player: Day 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Draco-  
> I don't know how you can line up a death scene -that- ugly and not have nightmares.
> 
> -Aurya-  
> You had Terra melt the middle third of a guy's head off and fuse the other two together. You do not get to talk to me about ugly death scenes, dragon.

"You're sure you want to hear about this?"

Miku nodded in affirmation. "Yes. Enough dancing around, please, Kamui."

Gakupo had relented to telling her the information she wanted to hear, under the conditions that he pick the locale - a restaurant in Ashes Square with a very busy customer base. According to him, the bustle of several conversations at once made it easy for a small group to discuss a not-so-pleasant topic without drawing too much attention; although Miku was less than experienced with such practices, she and her friends had eaten here a few times before, and the logic was sound.

At her comment, Gakupo shook his head. "I'm sorry," he insisted, "it's just... most of us don't like to talk about her, for a few different reasons."

"I know," Miku assured him. "But I can't do this off of vague information."

"There's only so much I can give you that you don't already know," Gakupo insisted, "but I'll tell you all I can."

Miku nodded. "Then please, tell me about Calne Ca - and her time in the Reaper's Game."

* * *

_A cat's mewl pushed Shiie to open her eyes._

_She was sitting on the ground, lying against a building, with wind funneled between the buildings and whistling around her. It looked like she was in Silent Beat Alleyway; her back was against the concert venue, and starry skies extended above her. As she looked down at herself, she saw her prosthetics still intact, yet trying to move them earned no response - but getting the same result from her left arm told her it wasn't a matter of power loss._

_Another cry drew her attention to her side; a small grey cat was standing there, looking at her curiously. Once it had her attention, the feline turned, leaping over her legs and starting down the alley - and to the feet of someone in a leopard-print dress. Shiie raised her gaze to find a woman standing there, with a pair of dark, eye-concealing shades; black hair whipped in the wind, long enough that it would have reached her waist if it could hang low. A pair of skeletal black wings were mounted upon her back, metallic-looking black frames with nothing to fill them._

_The cat leapt up to her, and she brought her hands together to form a platform; then it climbed onto her shoulder, draped itself around her neck, and when Shiie blinked, the woman was wearing a heavy scarf of cat's fur._

_"Who...?"_

_"Chiyuki Shiie," the woman greeted. "Welcome to the end."_

_The memories came back; Zaha confronting her and the Shinosato siblings, striking her friends aside when they tried to defend her, and then shooting her down. "...I see," she murmured. "Are you my escort, then? Here to take me to heaven?"_

_"This is not the gateway to heaven," the woman reprimanded. "It is the first circle of hell. You died in the purview of DIVA. Now you must earn the right to live again, or succumb to oblivion."_

_"Live again?" Shiie shook her head. "What are you talking about?"_

_"You are a Player, now," the winged woman proclaimed. "You must partake in the Reaper's Game; there is no choice in the matter. The tasks you are given must be completed, or you will be eradicated unconditionally. And to do so, you must forge a pact - an oath between Players to aid one another - else the Noise of DIVA will eliminate you unopposed. Pawns of the Reaper's Game can only interact with one another; that is their blessing, and their curse."_

_Shiie's gaze fell to her body. "What good is a pawn that can barely move?" she murmured. "No Game would be played any worse without me."_

_The winged woman shook her head. "Perhaps not," she proclaimed. "But you will play, nonetheless. Or you will be subject to the wrath of DIVA herself."_

_She tossed something to Shiie, and it landed upon her left leg; a black pin of some sort, with a stylized white skull upon it. "What is...?"_

_"A Player Pin," the woman answered. "Pins crafted for the Reaper's Game carry power with which to act, but only the Player Pin will answer your call before you have forged a pact. And only the Player Pin is universal - the purview of Players alone, and carried by all. Reapers will see you, but they have no inclination to help you - and they are not permit to wear Player Pins. If you should fail to make a pact before the first day's end, you are at the mercy of the Reapers' whims."_

_"Day?" Shiie echoed. "How long is this Game?"_

_The woman scoffed, closing her eyes. "You must survive the week," she replied. "And a task will be issued every day." She stepped back. "Best of luck."_

_Darkness flooded Silent Beat, and Shiie closed her eyes, terrified it would hurt her._

* * *

When she opened them, she was lying prone in Ashes Square.

DIVA District was not a place where someone collapsed in the middle of the square would be ignored. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the people walking around her, paying her no mind - and she knew what she had been told was the truth. She was invisible to the people - anyone who wasn't part of this Reaper's Game.

As she tried to sit up, she found the black pin - the Player Pin - still stuck to her left leg. Reaching for it revealed it had penetrated the plastic coating of her prosthetic; she managed to pry it free and took it in her right hand, using her left to work its clip. Once it was properly affixed to her top, she tried to right herself, still a little shaky as she stood tall.

"A 'Game'?" she murmured. "And I need to 'complete tasks'?" She shook her head. "What would anyone get out of making me play a Game?"

Her phone went off in her skirt pocket; she drew it out with her left hand and found a new message from 'Reaper Collective'.

_Reaper's Game: Day 1  
Task: Arrive at the plaza surrounding the 39 Building  
Time limit: 60 minutes  
What is unfinished is to be destroyed.  
_

"...I just need to go to 39?" Shiie smiled weakly. "That's too easy." She lowered the hand holding her phone with a sigh. "But she said I need to make a 'pact'. Where can I find a-?"

Pain ripped through her palm, and Shiie cried out, dropping her phone as she brought the hand to her chest. After a moment, the pain subsided, and she slowly brought her hand forward, trying to find what had hurt her. The distortion of her skin from the burn scars seemed like it would obscure the cut or puncture of whatever hurt her, but the skin itself had regained some of its colour - which meant the black digits on her palm, surrounded by bright crimson, were all too visible.

 **59:53  
** **59:52  
** **59:51**

"It's counting down?" She turned to her phone, carefully kneeling down to pick it up and checking the message against her timer. "60 minutes..." With a sigh, she pocketed her device. "Okay... I need to find someone to make a pact with. Before these... 'Noise' find me."

Speak of the devil, and she will appear; rapid, scuttling footsteps drew Shiie's attention, and she turned around to find a most unpleasant sight before her. Several small red figures stood there; they looked like crabs, in a way, but each was large enough for a person to stand upon, and their limbs seemed to be insubstantial blue lines, joined to their bodies.

"No..." Shiie stepped back. "Please... no...!"

She turned, trying to move away - yet she had barely accustomed herself to walking on her prosthetic legs, and her every step was shaky to speak for it. She tried to escape with a brisk walk, as fast as she could without deviating from the certain motions of the day before she died; but the crablike creatures were able to keep pace with her, drawing closer as she stepped onto Snowdust Street. One brought its pincers forward, and Shiie barely avoided having her leg trapped between them - with even that hasty movement causing her to stumble. She managed to correct the motion without falling to the ground, and tried to break into a run - yet ten steps found the prosthetics lagging in every hasty movement, her steps becoming more and more unstable before she tried to take an eleventh and found herself falling to the ground.

Her left arm dashed against the pavement, earning a cry of pain, and she closed her eyes and let the fearful tears flow, awaiting the end.

Then someone leapt from before her, landed behind her, and turned around.

"Are you a Player?"

Shiie looked over her shoulder; standing there was a girl in a simple black ensemble, with a pair of long black trousers and a tube top that bared her midriff. She had black hair in what _looked_ like twin shoulder-draping braids that had come unravelled, leaving them as messy, spiky tails hanging aside; her eyes were a dull blue colour, as though the light refused to hit them. A white shape was upon her top, and Shiie realized she was wearing a Player Pin, the black body unseen against her dark garments.

"Who...?"

The crabs were closing in on her; the girl glanced back at them before facing Shiie. "Make a pact with me. I can fight."

"I..." Shiie closed her eyes. "Okay..."

A blue light emerged from the earth around the two of them, shining heavenward. The girl quickly turned to face the crabs, raising her right hand and bracing her left against her forearm, and a light started to gather in her palm; one of the crabs scuttled forward, and raised its pincer to strike her.

Then, a surge; a beam of light shot out of the girl's palm, soaring forward and consuming the creatures before her, and when it faded, she and Shiie were alone.

The girl lowered her hands, turning to Shiie. "Can you stand?"

"Y-Yes..."

It was marginally easier for her to rise from lying on her fore than her back; Shiie managed to get to her feet as the girl looked over her. "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you."

Shiie nodded. "You could say that," she admitted. She offered her left hand. "I'm Shiie."

"C-A?" the girl asked.

"No, _Shii_ -e."

The girl's gaze fell. "You mean, like..."

Shiie withdrew her hand. "Like death," she insisted. "You can say it." She held her burned arm before her. "It's not like I could avoid it after this happened."

With a sigh, the girl held out her hand. "I'm Viialless."

"Thank you for saving me," Shiie praised, accepting the handshake.

The girl nodded. "Come on," she insisted. "We should get to 39."

* * *

There were no more attackers as the two of them made their way to the plaza surrounding the 39 Building as they arrived, Shiie glanced at her left hand and found the timer had vanished. "Okay," she murmured. "I guess... that's one day over with."

"You should check your pockets," Viialless suggested. "See if you have any pins to fight with."

Shiie sighed. "Alright..."

Her left pocket was empty aside from her phone; she reached her left hand around to her right side and slipped her fingers into the pocket there, finding a pin of similar profile to the Player Pin. Its surface was a brilliant blue, with jagged lines reaching in from its outer rim; upon its surface was a massive black shape like a greatsword, surrounded by an aura of white. Its other side was relatively barren, save for a name: _Genocide_.

"How do I use it?" she murmured.

"Combat pins can't be used without fighting Noise," Viialless informed her. "But going by its-"

"Well, we can't just leave you hanging until tomorrow, can we?"

The voice from nearby caught Shiie off-guard; her gaze shot around to find a woman standing there, dressed in a red tube top and white short shorts beneath an open black hoodie with red trim. Her hair was a bright peachy colour and somewhat messy, and a large pair of black, skeletal wings emerged from her back, each as long as her arm.

Shiie stepped back, holding her burned arm before her. "Who...?"

"Ouch." The woman's expression fell as she regarded Shiie. "Okay, now I feel like a bully."

"When does a Harrier Reaper's actions _not_ qualify as bullying?" Viialless demanded. "You find weak-looking Players and send Noise after them when they don't expect it. Usually in sizeable numbers"

"Yeah, and if they can't fight back against chump Noise, it's because they're self-righteous punks who have avoided making a pact!" the Reaper retorted. "But throwing Noise at someone who wrecked one arm and lost the other three limbs and an eye _before_ she died feels like plucking the legs off a non-poisonous spider!"

Viialless narrowed her gaze. "Are you saying you're _not_ going to fight us?"

The Reaper hummed, crossing her arms. "Depends," she mused, turning to face Shiie. "You don't know how that pin works, huh? You want one round with the Noise to find out?"

Shiie shook her head. "No... Please."

"...Alright, then," the Reaper mused. "See you around."

She turned and stepped off; Viialless made sure she wasn't going to psych them out before turning to Shiie. "I... didn't notice the eye," she admitted.

"It's okay," Shiie assured her. "I've had that since I was born. I didn't lose it when I lost..." She moved her prosthetic arm in lieu of finishing the sentence. 

Viialless reached forward, holding her fingers over the visual. "Can you see out of that?"

Shiie shook her head. "No."

"...Does that have something to do with not wanting to fight today?" Viialless asked.

"I don't want to fight at _all_ ," Shiie insisted. "I don't... want to be part of this Game."

Viialless sighed. "You're not the only Player," she observed. "So long as a single Player succeeds in each day's mission, all the surviving Players will continue on to the next day. There should still be plenty of others."

Shiie raised her gaze. "How do you know that?"

"This isn't my first Game," Viialless explained. "If you don't want to fight, you don't have to." She set a hand on Shiie's shoulder. "But... just surviving isn't enough to earn your return to life. The Reapers judge players by their efforts, and select only a few to return to life. If you just hide, and the Game ends, and there are more Players who survived than who are chosen to live again... your only way back is to play another Game."

"And what if I don't want to go back?" Shiie asked.

"...If you want to be erased," Viialless insisted, "they'll give you that option." She pulled her hand away. "But if you're erased during the Game, you take your partner with you. The erasure propagates through the pact, and your partner only has seven minutes to forge a new one - if there's even anyone to forge a pact with."

Shiie's gaze fell. "I wouldn't do that," she assured. "Not on purpose."

Viialless nodded. "Neither would I."

 ** A Terrible Game  
** **Chapter Closed**


	4. Player: Day 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Okay, then. I thought chapter publication dates defaulting to the same as the first chapter was because I started it as a oneshot and then started adding chapters. But now it's doing the same on this one, which was never a one-shot. I think I broke the publication date algorithm.

"How was your interview with Kamui?"

Luka had arrived at Miku's place to find the face of Glory Music working on a(n admittedly very creepy) new song; it had taken a bit of effort to convince the vocalist that if her pen was frozen in place for a whole minute, she probably didn't have the continuation right now. Most of the band knew about her pursuit of information on Calne Ca, and although the others hadn't been very interested in seeing the results, Luka knew better than to try and stop Miku when she put her mind to something.

Miku breathed a sigh at Luka's question. "He had some of the information I was looking for," she admitted. "But it was mostly about the lead-up to her first stint as Game Master. Nothing about when she was a Player." She leaned her head back. "Can't say Galaco didn't warn me."

"Anyone else you want to ask?" Luka inquired.

"I don't know who else would have anything," Miku observed. "Gakupo's been a Reaper for a year longer than Gumi has, and all the current Reapers joined under her rule or Haku's." She shook her head. "Maybe the Producer would know something, but I can't just walk into Black Illusion and interrogate Black Rock Shooter."

"...Are you sure?" Luka asked.

Miku turned to her. "You seriously think she would answer?"

There was a hesitant look on Luka's face. "You did say... she offered to make you an Angel."

Uncomfortable silence filled the living room.

Luka quickly changed the subject. "Um, did you remember to ask Kamui about vocals?"

"Oh! Yeah, I did," Miku confirmed. Kaito and Meiko were putting together an ambitious song for _eight_ vocalists, and had asked Miku to inquire with Gumi and Gakupo about whether they were willing to join in. "He said he'd be willing to at least audition."

"Didn't you tell him he would get the role as long as he accepted?" Luka asked.

Miku giggled. "Well, he said he _could_ do vocals... but the last thing he did with music was find out you could achieve pitch with a sword."

"Achieve pitch with a _what_?"

* * *

When Shiie opened her eyes, she was lying in Tengaku Square. As she tried to right herself, a hand was extended into her vision, and she looked up to find Viialless standing there. "Morning."

"M-Morning," Shiie murmured, a little disoriented as she accepted the hand. Standing up on her prosthetics was much easier with assistance.

"Sorry," Viialless admitted. "I probably should have mentioned this yesterday. After a mission is completed, the Players all pass out; then they're redistributed throughout the Game area to await the next day's mission."

"I see..."

A ringing from her pocket drew Shiie's attention; she drew out her phone to find the message had arrived.

_Reaper's Game: Day 2_  
_Task: Assist in the break-in at Rouge Square_  
_Time limit: 90 minutes_  
_What is unfinished is to be destroyed._

"Break-in?" Shiie barely felt the sting of the timer appearing on her palm. "Is that legal?"

"That's for the Composer to decide," Viialless murmured.

Shiie lowered her phone and shook her head. "I'm sorry," she pleaded, turning to her partner. "I can't-"

"No," Viialless assured her. "I won't make you partake in this if you don't want to." She sighed. "Looks like the Game Master for this round is some sadist."

"Game... Master?" Shiie asked.

Viialless nodded. "The Reapers have a hierarchy. Common Reapers are directed by the officers, who pass on the orders from the Game Master, who is chosen by the Conductor, who follows the will of the Composer. Every Reaper's Game is overseen by a different Game Master, chosen before the start of the week."

"Why doesn't the same Game Master preside over every Game?" Shiie asked.

"Because the position of Game Master is the gateway for a common Reaper to become an officer," Viialless explained. "At least, that's what they say. If the Game Master successfully erases all the Players before the end of the seventh day, they receive a promotion to officer."

"And if they don't?" Shiie asked.

"Then that means they couldn't run out the clock," Viialless observed. "The mission on the seventh day is ten hours to defeat the Game Master. Which means the Players have to do the erasing."

Shiie took a deep breath before reaching into her pocket, finding her _Genocide_ pin still in there. "Are there Noise other than the one the Reapers throw at us?" she asked.

Viialless turned to her. "Yes. Why?"

"I think... I should learn how this works," Shiie replied. "Before Day 7. If we're the last Players left, I need to be able to fight."

"Alright, then," Viialless mused. "Let's go to Swordsman's Square, I'll show you how to find Noise."

* * *

Shiie's pin turned out to bestow her with a positively _massive_ blade - one that was all but weightless in her grip, but hit harder the longer she braced it before swinging. A few fights with crab Noise helped her get a gauge for when her blade maxed out, and how quickly she could swing it once it had; between her edge and Viialless' blast, it would be a matter of making sure they didn't strike at quite the same time if they wanted to fight anything effectively.

As they decided to take a break, Shiie noticed a different in her partner's attire. "Where are your pins?" she asked.

"Hm? Oh..." Viialless twisted her hips, revealing her Player Pin was now affixed to her trousers. "I'm not exactly dressed to wear pins on my shirt," she observed. "I only had my Player Pin on there yesterday to find a partner with." She turned to the other side to show her other pin - a large black cannon barrel against a blue flame. "If I don't want to cut myself through my clothes, and I want to be able to reach them, I don't have a lot of room.

"Makes sense," Shiie conceded. "I'm the opposite. Pins stick to these." She held her prosthetic arm before her. "If I had them, and could make sure they didn't pop off, I could probably wear twenty of them on each limb."

Viialless shook her head. "Most Players can only use one pin," she warned. "Very few can use two. If you _did_ have twenty, and could use them all, you'd be a miracle."

"Shame she couldn't be a miracle sooner."

The voice from behind her drew the Players' attention. Standing there was a short figure in a white-and-red ensemble... whose left side looked ruined. It was like a photograph had been partially damaged by water; he was wearing a hip-length white jacket and black trousers, but the left half seemed to have been crumpled, rotted, or deformed. His body was no better; his skin was pale, making the deformation on the left side of his face all the more obvious, and although there were some sort of bandages across his left arm and hand, they were very poorly-wrapped, leaving the difference exposed. A wooden cane rested in his bandaged grip, with a demonic foot on the end; his hair was a red too vibrant to be natural, and he wore a top hat segmented into red and blue, with a black rim and an animal face of some sort on the white half.

Skeletal black wings emerged from his back, long enough that the tips passed his elbows.

"Not that I'm one to talk."

Viialless quickly moved between Shiie and the Reaper. "Who are you?"

The Reaper smirked, setting his right hand against his chest. "My name is Fukase," he introduced. "I am the Game Master for this week's Game."

"Then..." Shiie shook her head. "You're the one who gave the mission to help a break-in?"

"Indeed," the Reaper confirmed. "The Players can't affect ordinary people - at least, not directly - but they can affect physical objects. It was a simple matter for the Players who were willing to rattle a window enough that its integrity was weakened."

" _Was_ a simple-?" Shiie glanced at her burned palm, finding the timer gone.

Fukase stepped forward. "Now, what exactly are you two doing all the way here?" he demanded. "This is... just about the opposite side of DIVA from the mission objective."

Viialless shook her head. "We will not partake in such knowing chaos," she proclaimed. "You have no ability to force us to bring harm to people."

"Perhaps I don't," Fukase agreed. "But if you keep up that attitude, you might just force the Composer's hand."

"The Composer never shows herself," Viialless observed. "Not against the Players."

With a scoff, Fukase started to circle around them, making to depart Swordsman's Square. "Tell me you're kidding. The Composer in her own domain is everything - every bump in the concrete, every ray from the streetlights. She doesn't _need_ to show herself; you stand in her shadow as long as you are in the district. She knows all, _sees_ all, and can take action before you even know she has her eye on you."

He came to a halt at the edge of Parallel Circuit, raising his gaze skyward.

"That is what it is, to be in the purview of Cyber Diva."

**A Dreadful Task  
** **Chapter Closed**


	5. Player: Day 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Writing a story in English about a bunch of characters with Japanese names is an exercise in linguistics. I am not expecting my hints to make sense to anyone but me, so don't feel bad if something doesn't make sense to you.

"Thanks for your patronage."

Miku accepted her bag with a smile, swinging it over her shoulder as she stepped out of the Darkness and Starlight fashion shop in 39. Rin's suggestion to deal with her (song)writer's block was to try and figure out how she would want the video to look for the song she had in mind; fortunately, the cashier had been willing to acquiesce to her request to put the creepy implements she wanted at the bottom of the bag, preventing any suspicious looks should she end up in close quarters.

She was on the last floor below the roof; as she hit the button for the ground floor, someone called "Hold the elevator!" from nearby, prompting her to stop the doors on her arm as someone charged up. A pair of vibrant-haired figures stumbled into the elevator; the taller of the two had purple hair pinned with jeweled clips; a large bag was in her hand, and she stumbled against the back wall of the elevator to try and catch her breath as the shorter of the two, with blue hair held back by an alice band with a single large gem, pressed the button for the second floor.

"Thanks for that," the older panted as the door closed.

Miku recognized the voice. "Oh, hello," she greeted. "It was Merli, right?"

Her question got her a very fast look from Aoki Merli. On seeing the singer standing there, she gave a yelp, standing upright and stumbling back with a blush that could be seen through her complexion and a squeal that sounded vaguely like Miku's name from between closed lips. The younger girl turned to her with a look of awe. "You're... Hatsune Miku, right?" she asked.

"Last time I checked," Miku confirmed with a giggle. "And you're...?"

"I'm Lapis," the younger girl introduced, bowing politely.

Merli was still looking somewhat starstruck as Miku turned to her. "You don't have to look so startled," she insisted. "I'm not some authority figure that needs to be saluted or something."

"S-Sorry," Merli pleaded, "I just... after your _Reappearance_ concert, I..." She scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "It kind of had an impact on me."

Miku sighed. "I just took my experiences and made the best of them," she insisted. "Any other Game survivor would have done the same."

"Yeah," Lapis admitted, "but any other Game survivor wouldn't get her to spend a hundred bucks on-"

Merli slapped a hand over her sister's mouth. "Lapis, shut up!"

"I don't know," Miku mused. "Luka was never one for Lily's merch before-"

" _Miku, shut up!_ " Merli pleaded.

Lapis wrestled her sister's hand off before turning to Miku. "What were you buying?" she asked.

"Just some stuff for a music video I'm thinking of making for a new song," Miku admitted. "Been having a bit of trouble learning what I want, and Rin suggested I take my mind off it."

"Learning about it?" Merli echoed. "Why would you have trouble learning about it?"

"Let's just say it's not exactly a well-remembered subject," Miku observed. "Nobody's been able to tell me more than the basics."

Lapis hummed. "Not remembered? Does it have to do with the creepy lady from the last day?"

Miku turned to her. "How did you-?"

"She... She was my entry fee," Merli explained. "She could see what all happened to me during the Game." Her gaze fell. "During the last day, we had a strange encounter with-"

"Did you run into Calne Ca?" Miku asked.

Merli's gaze shot up. "You know her?"

"...Yeah," Miku admitted. "What happened to her?"

"She attacked Yukari in the Garden," Lapis observed. "And when the Composer lady showed up, she asked to be erased."

 _So that's why..._ Miku sighed. "I should have suspected as much."

Lapis angled her head. "Why are you trying to know about her?"

"It's kind of a long story..."

* * *

Once again did Shiie wake up and find a hand offered to her - this time in Starmine Square. As Viialless helped her to her feet, she seemed to notice the difference in disposition, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I was... thinking about what the Game Master said," Shiie explained. "About... the Composer. If... Would she really-"

"He was bluffing," Viialless assured her. "Every Composer fancies herself all-seeing and all-powerful in her own Underground, but the truth is a bit greyer than that. And she certainly can't take action without us noticing her show up."

Shiie angled her head. "Under-?"

Her phone ringing cut her off; Fukase's third mission had arrived.

_Reaper's Game: Day 3_  
_Obstruct the path on Pain Crave Bridge_  
_Time limit: 150 minutes_  
_What is unfinished is to be destroyed._

"Obstruct the path?" Shiie lowered her phone. "He said that Players could affect physical items, but..."

Viialless turned towards Amaretto. "Foot traffic would be difficult to block completely. He must expect us to interfere with vehicle traffic. But the Players can't reach all the way to the end of the bridge. Someone could pull on and be at reasonable speed before they knew the road was out."

Shiie shook her head. "I'm not doing this one."

"Alright," Viialless assured her. "Is there something you'd like to...?"

She trailed off, drawing Shiie's attention. "Is something wrong?"

After a moment, Viialless shook her head. "No... I'm sorry. I saw something white. I thought the Game Master was watching us."

"White?" Shiie turned, looking around the square. "What in the world would be white around here?"

"It looked like it was headed down Snowdust Street," Viialless observed.

Shiie turned to her. "Do you want to go after it?"

Viialless shook her head. "It's alright. I don't want to make you-"

"You're not," Shiie assured her. "I'm not doing that mission, but I don't have anything in mind."

"...Alright," Viialless sighed. "Let's go."

The two of them started down Snowdust Street; after a moment, Shiie spoke up. "So, can I ask you an... unusual question?"

Viialless didn't show any discomfort. "If you like."

"How many of these Games have you gone through?"

"What?"

Shiie shook her head. "I'm sorry, it's just... you seem so reserved. Like nothing fazes you anymore. It just feels like... you're more accustomed to this Game than you should be."

"Oh... that's not..." Viialless turned forward. "This not being my first Game has nothing to do with it. That was just the price I paid."

"Price?" Shiie echoed. "What do you mean?"

"Entry into the Reaper's Game comes at a cost," Viialless explained. "The Reapers take what they deem you value most, and keep it until you survive the seventh day. Then it's returned to you, and they decide who comes back to life based on how they performed in the missions. If you're not the one who comes back, you get the choice to join the Game again, and if you do, you need to pay the price anew."

"Then... you mean..."

Viialless nodded. "Joining this Game came at the cost of my emotions. It's not that I can't feel anything; it's just that... the feelings are buried."

Shiie sighed. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be," Viialless insisted. "The Game is meant to change people. Enduring the Reapers' trials causes people to approach life with new perspective. More often than not, if a Player survives one Game and enters the next, they pay a different price. You don't need to think I'm going to keep suffering because I'm not making you bow to the orders of a sadist."

Shiie turned back to the street before them - and something caught her eye. "Huh?"

"Something wrong?"

"There..." They were approaching the intersection with Aqua Street; Shiie raised her hand towards the corner leading to Tengaku Square. "I saw something white round that corner."

Viialless turned her gaze in the direction her partner was pointing. "If they were going to Tengaku, they would have just taken Two Kind Walk," she observed. "It's like... they're trying to avoid being followed."

The two Players exchanged glances and took the corner for themselves, at a somewhat faster pace now. It didn't take long for them to arrive at Tengaku Square; this time the white was plainly visible, standing clear in the center of the square. It was a woman, in a long cloak of blinding white that had no business being as clean as it was; it had a hood, but that had been lowered to bare her face. Her skin was _just_ too dark to have been acquired by sunlight, and her hair was like platinum, long enough to vanish beneath her collar.

As Shiie and Viialless started to approach, the woman in white started towards Two Kind Walk - and this time, they saw someone retreating down that path.

"She's not trying to dodge followers," Shiie realized, " _she's_ following someone! Stop!"

The woman in white showed no reaction to the call, as though she hadn't noticed that she was the one being addressed; Shiie quickly started chasing after her, as fast as her prosthetics could reliably run. Viialless followed suit, close enough to catch her if her legs should fail her, as they chased the stranger down Two Kind Walk, partway up Amaretto, and into Fire Child Sports Park.

They found the woman in white in the skater zone, standing in the concave peak of a curved rise. Below her were two figures, each with what Shiie recognized as Reaper wings. One was an incredibly pale woman in a showy black dress, with bows tied like butterflies holding her red hair in an odango style; the other was a brunette woman of healthier complexion, wearing a blue skirt and a white top with uneven detached sleeves. The two Reapers seemed to be preparing for a fight - yet there was a look of terror on each's face, as though they were at a disadvantage.

Shiie spoke up, yelling across the park. "Hey! What are you doing?"

The woman in white sighed, throwing her head back. "Just what I needed." There was a heavy layer of sarcasm in her voice, confirming Shiie's suspicions that she had unpleasant intentions. Yet as she turned and regarded the two girls standing there, she seemed surprised at what she saw. "Oh? Players?" A grin rose on her face. "You would stand in my way, would you? Stop me from hurting the Reapers that terrorize you?"

"Not all the Reapers intend to terrorize us," Viialless proclaimed. "Until they show us ill intent, we treat them as we would any other. And seeing as you mean to harm them..."

"Don't!" The redheaded Reaper's voice sounded fearful. "She can erase you in an instant!"

With a sigh, the woman in white raised her head. "I've lost my appetite."

She seemed to vanish into thin air; Shiie looked around, finding her reappearing halfway across Amaretto with her arms crossed irritably. "Very well. I'll leave you lot alone - this time. Don't expect the same mercy if we should meet again."

Viialless waited until she had taken off towards Cybernation Plaza; then she turned back to the skate park, leaping over the ridge of the half-pipe and sliding down. Shiie decided against following on her prosthetics, making her way around to the nearest stairway as her partner approached the Reapers. "Are you two alright?"

"You could say that," admitted the brunette. "I can't believe you almost tried to fight her." She turned to Shiie as the girl neared. "Especially you."

"Who was that?" Shiie asked.

"We don't know," the redhead admitted. "She's not a Reaper."

Shiie started. "Not a Reaper?" she echoed. "Then... she's a Player?"

"She couldn't be a Player," Viialless observed. "There was no one who could have been her partner, the Noise would have been attacking her. And Players aren't capable of that sort of performance without a psych."

The redhead glanced at her companion. "Was that...?"

"I hope not," the brunette murmured. Then, turning to the Players; "Thank you for intervening. We're in your debt. I'm Kokone; this is Chika."

"Shiie. And this is Viialless."

"If she wasn't a Reaper," Viialless observed, "and she wasn't a Player, she shouldn't go unreported. You should tell the Conductor about her."

"Of course," Kokone agreed. "Come on, let's go."

The two Reapers took off out of the park; Shiie breathed a sigh, turning to Viialless. "What could she have been?" she asked. "If she wasn't a Reaper _or_ a Player?"

Viialless turned away, looking towards the street where the woman in white had departed. "...I don't know."

**Blinded by White  
Chapter Closed**


	6. Player: Day 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> As much as I like having a daily update rate to boast about (and enjoy having chapter X be up on April Xth), I knew I was being needless when I considered talking Draco into a Co-op playthrough of Final Remix and thought better of it because I was in the middle of the story. -You're- not on a timer, Aurya! You don't have to write the story on a time limit!

_Knock knock knock_.

"Just a second!" Miku called, turning away from her desk and making her way to the door. A glance through the peephole revealed Meiko was standing outside with an excited smile on her face, and Miku quickly retracted the bolt and pulled the door open. "How did-?"

Meiko's yell of shock cut her off, her face falling as she took a step back. "M-Miku?!"

"Something wrong?" Miku asked.

"Your face...!"

Miku reached for her face and realized what had startled her. Inspiration for her new song had struck after she'd managed to apply makeup that made her look _diseased_ , and she only now realized that she had failed to _remove_ that makeup before she started writing - and before she'd answered the door. "I'm not hurt," she insisted. "It's just a design."

Meiko breathed a shaky sigh. "Was that Rin's idea?" she asked.

"Kind of?" Miku admitted. "How could you tell?"

"Because I remember walking in on her and Len writing in their Halloween costumes," Meiko replied, "and the next day they revealed trick and treat."

"Well, I know the idea is sound, then," Miku mused. "Anyways, why did you come here?"

Meiko shook her head. "Right. So, I talked to Naka. She said she'd be willing to be our eighth with Kamui. No response from him about working with her."

"I think that's got more to do with his misgivings about vocals," Miku observed. "At least, I hope so." She raised an eyebrow. "House visit, just for that?"

"I also wanted to make sure you weren't sitting hunched over the desk and getting nothing done," Meiko admitted, "but I don't think I've got anything to worry about on that front."

Miku giggled. "Not like I didn't give you reason to be wary," she admitted. "You and Kaito had to rip me away from Senbonzakura."

Meiko smiled at her before taking off; Miku closed the door and breathed a sigh. She had indeed been coming along well, but she couldn't help but feel like the song was missing something - she couldn't place what.

Her phone going off interrupted her train of thought; she locked the door and started back inside as she drew the device out of her pocket, finding a call from _Akita Neru_. Confused, she hit _Answer_ and raised the phone to her ear. "Hey, Neru."

 _"Miku,"_ Neru greeted. _"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"_

"Well, you're right on the tail of an existing interruption," Miku admitted. "What's up?"

_"Galaco tells me you've been asking about Calne Ca."_

* * *

An earsplitting siren from her phone woke Shiie on the fourth day; she sat bolt upright faster than she thought she still could, earning a concerned look from Viialless. After a moment, she realized it was coming from her pocket, and quickly drew out her phone.

"That's the tone for emergency alerts," she realized. "I can't manually set that as my ringtone, what's going on?" Sure enough, her phone had a black screen with a large text box in white - but it wasn't a civilian warning.

It was a warning for the Game.

_Emergency Mission.  
Take refuge until further notice.  
The concert venue in Silent Beat Alleyway is safe.  
~The Reapers_

"They want us to be safe?" Shiie mused. "This has to be a trick."

"It's not a trick," Viialless proclaimed. "Reapers benefit only if Players are erased by elements of the Reaper's Game. If they're giving us instructions like this, that means there's a risk of something _else_ erasing us." She shook her head. "Besides, if it's going off like an emergency alert, that's not in the Game Master's permissions - the Conductor had to do it."

She offered her hand to Shiie, who accepted the help getting to her feet. "The format _is_ different than usual," she admitted. "Okay. We'll go there, then." She glanced around; they were lying outside 39. "But... what could be threatening us besides the Reaper's Game?"

"Not a Reaper," Viialless observed. "And likely not a Player, either."

Shiie started. "That woman from yesterday...!"

Viialless nodded. "She was threatening Reapers. She'd be more than a match for Players."

"...Let's go!"

* * *

For better or worse, the trip down I_O Walk was largely uneventful; the two of them reached Ashes Square without incident, and as they stepped into Silent Beat, they found someone standing guard - the Reaper in the red-trimmed hoodie. She had a revolver in one hand; as the Players approached, she raised it towards them with her finger away from the trigger, causing Shiie to stumble before the Reaper lowered it.

"Oh, you two," she sighed. "Sorry for the scare."

"You're the one we met on the first day," Shiie recalled. "What are you doing here?"

"The name's Ruby, first of all," the Reaper introduced. "Second of all, I'm keeping a watch. If the threat shows up here because she's after the Players, someone needs to be here to stop her."

"Then it is her," Viialless observed. "The girl in the white cloak who was attacking Kokone and Chika yesterday."

Ruby nodded. "More like than not," she confirmed. Then, beckoning towards the concert venue; "Get in. There's a few Players in there already."

The two Players made their way inside - the mosh pit lights were dark, but the seating areas were all lit, leaving enough illumination to make out everyone who was there. There were two distinct groups; four Players dressed casually were sitting along the edge of the stage, seeming to be in amicable conversation. The other six, to Shiie's surprise, were a group of six men in what seemed to be _military uniforms_ \- though not of any faction she recognized. Each had his Player Pin secured on his chest where a soldier would wear medals, and at least one of them (a white-haired man with mutton-chops) did in fact have a medal sitting next to it - Shiie could see no other pins on their person, but each was wearing a pistol.

Viialless changed as she approached the group; she seemed wary, untrusting, as she and Shiie approached. A brunette man noticed them as they approached, and their own conversation halted as the group turned to them. "Oh, hello," he greeted. "Two more, then?"

"H-Hi," Shiie greeted awkwardly. "Um...?"

The white-haired man, who seemed to be the leader, crossed his arms. "And you are?"

"My name's Shiie. This is Viialless."

"How did you come to the Game with weapons?" Viialless asked. "The Reapers don't expect Players to be able to fight with anything but their pins."

The brunette chuckled awkwardly. "Uh, we actually got these after the Game started," he explained. "Guess we just got lucky. Makes the missions a lot easier."

"Reapers," the leader spat, glancing towards the entrance. "This whole Game is an insulting farce. Where do they think they get off, making dead people run around competing against each other and trying to kill them all the while?"

"The Reaper's Game offers second chances to those who meet with an unfortunate fate," Viialless observed. "What about that is insulting?"

The leader turned to her; the new angle gave Shiie a look at the radio on his hip opposite his pistol. "If it was anything as benevolent as a second chance," he retorted, "they'd give it to everyone, instead of picking just a few."

Viialless shook her head. "The missions are meant to gauge the Players' worth," she proclaimed. "The Reapers use them to determine who will contribute most to the world around them if they should be returned. Criminals who think only of themselves and backstab their fellow Players are deemed to perform poorly, while those who are willing to risk themselves to help each other are rewarded."

"Then why do they try to kill the Players indiscriminately?" the leader demanded. "Why are all the Reapers self-serving punks who get to live out their lives when the Game's not on? If it's is supposed to be a fair judgement, then why is it being run by people who hide until the end of it all?"

Shiie raised a hand forward to get their attention. "Wait, are you saying this isn't your first Game?"

The brunette shook his head. "No, it is," he insisted. "But we heard about the Game before it started. Marion said-"

A siren screaming from Shiie's pocket silenced everyone - and a few others, from different models of phones, echoed around the venue as she tried to draw it out. The emergency alerts were going off again - but this time, the message was much kinder.

_Emergency mission ended._  
_The threat has passed safely.  
The day will end shortly._

Ruby gave a sigh of relief that was audible throughout the mosh pit; Shiie turned towards her to see her retreat down Silent Beat Alleyway. The leader of the soldiers watched her go before signalling to the others; a few of the members approached the stage, leaving him and the brunette with Shiie and Viialless.

"How could you have heard about the Game before it started?" Viialless demanded. "Did you meet some ex-Player?"

"We don't know who it was," the brunette explained. "But they did tell us all about it - the missions, the Reapers, Cyber Diva, all of it. They asked Marion to arrange for us to get involved." He beckoned to the leader as he said that.

Shiie recognized that name. "Cyber Diva? The Composer?"

Marion nodded. "Our informant told us that she was in charge of this place. Said that whoever takes out the 'Composer' gets to rule over the Game. So we shut her down, we get to shut the Game down."

"You would never be allowed to end the Game entire," Viialless protested. "For starters, you wouldn't even be able to get anywhere near. The Conductor would stop you as soon as he noticed you get close, and the officers would intercept you before he even needed to get involved. No Player could stand up to them without tempering their psychs for at least a week - even the Game Master is strong enough to be a trial against careless Players. Death weakens you from the moment you enter the Game."

A bitter scoff emerged from Marion. "Well, then it's a good thing we're not dead."

Shiie stepped back, shocked. "What?!"

"Our informant got us into the Game without having to die first," Marion proclaimed, reaching for his Player Pin. "Hooked us up with these so the Reapers wouldn't be suspicious, and put our gear where we could get at it after the Game started. Even gave us a fancy little name - the Player Survival Squadron."

"If you're in the Game while you're still alive," Viialless proclaimed, "you're illegal Players, violating the laws of-"

"The laws of the Composer?" Marion argued. "The laws of a tyrant mean nothing." He shook his head. "We've spent the days so far looking for her. One of us performs the missions, the others scour the district for the Composer. Because that's what our informant asked us to do."

He started out of the concert venue, his hand going for his weapon.

"Shoot down the bitch Cyber Diva - and end the Game."

**Illegal Players  
Chapter Closed**


	7. Player: Day 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Death Battle had a non-legendary Pokémon combatant. On one hand, it always feels awesome when someone I know beats someone I don't know. On the other hand, watching Draco raging mid-episode because they incorrectly pluralized 'Machamp' is too funny to take seriously. I should not have laughed at him as hard as I did.

"There you are."

Neru was sitting on a bench on the rooftop of 39 when Miku's elevator arrived. To the Reaper's amusement, the vocalist proceeded to look across the rooftop before stepping out, and as the elevator closed behind her she asked, "On your own?"

"Gumi really did a number on you, didn't you?" Neru mused.

"Yeah," Miku confirmed. "I've only been up here twice since my last day, and Haku had asked us to come here for the second one." She shook her head. "I did have a stupid idea about doing the _Reappearance_ concert up here, but-"

"How would that even work?" Neru interrupted. "There's not enough room for a crowd up here. And if you had speakers loud enough to be heard in the plaza, you'd be deaf by the end of it."

"That's what Len said," Miku admitted.

"Besides," Neru added, "isn't the whole point of a concert getting to see the band in person? There's no jumbotron to set up, so no one would be able to see you except maybe on the surrounding rooftops."

"That's what _Rin_ said!" Miku added.

Neru shook her head, an amused smile on her face. "I guess that would help solve your discomfort, but that still wasn't terribly well thought-out."

Miku sighed. "Did you actually have what I want to know," she mused, "or was this just to make fun of me?"

"No, I do," Neru insisted. "You wanted to know about Calne Ca?"

"Forgive my saying so," Miku pleaded, "but didn't you and Haku join the Reapers while Gumi was Composer? I don't see how you'd know anything she and Gakupo don't."

"The first Game after we became Reapers was a couple months after we joined," Neru explained. "Her first day with wings, Haku asked Gakupo who the most senior Reaper was, and then spent every day before the Game approaching Kokone and asking her everything she knew." She sighed. "I... was kind of concerned her 'I want to change the Game' mentality was gonna make her do something crazy, so I insisted on accompanying her the first time... After one session, I figured the information wouldn't hurt."

"And Kokone told you two about Calne Ca?" Miku asked.

Neru nodded. "I know Haku gave you the basics while the Cantus was GMing... but it sounds like you want something more than that."

* * *

When Shiie woke up on Day 5, she was lying out in the open on Silent Beat. Her mind started to flash back before a hand was offered to her; Viialless seemed to notice her change in disposition as she looked up, asking "What's wrong?"

"I just..." Shiie accepted the hand, getting to her feet. "Sometime between when I died and when the Game started, I woke up here, talking to... some Reaper with a cat."

"Mew," Viialless observed. "Her job is to induct Players into the Game, but she's not particularly kind about it. I don't blame you for not enjoying the memory." She sighed, turning towards the concert venue. "And speaking of unkind..."

"You mean that 'Player Survival Squadron', or whatever?" Shiie asked.

Viialless nodded. "Illegal players are a danger to the Game. We should be informing the Reapers of-"

"No," Shiie insisted. "We should leave them be."

Her partner turned to her. "Why are you-?"

"They're completing the missions," Shiie insisted. "And we're not the only Players who aren't part of that group. They're better equipped to complete missions than the rest of us. If we report them to the Reapers, and the Reapers kill them, the rest of us won't stand a chance."

"I thought you _wanted_ to be erased," Viialless observed.

"I thought you _didn't_ ," Shiie countered.

Silence in the alleyway for a long moment.

A ringtone from Shiie's pocket - and not an emergency alert - ended it; the mission had arrived.

_Reaper's Game: Day 5_  
_Task: Put an end to the music of Cybernation Plaza_  
_Time limit: 150 minutes_  
_What is unfinished is to be destroyed._

"Cybernation?" Shiie murmured.

"You know the place well?" Viialless asked. "There's a club, a karaoke bar, a music shop... The Game Master must be expecting us to do another break-in."

Shiie sighed, pocketing her phone. "I don't know if I want to do the mission... but I do want to take a look."

Viialless seemed surprised. "What's this about?"

* * *

It was somewhat later in the day than the Players were expecting; Shiie glanced at her phone as she and Viialless stepped into the northernmost square of DIVA District. Sure enough, the faint sound of bass beats could be heard coming from a particular locale - the _Gold Transistor_. 

"I hope I don't sound rude when I say you seem a little young to be a regular patron of a club," Viialless observed.

"A couple friends of mine work here," Shiie explained, pocketing her phone. "Asano should be at work by now..."

Viialless caught her arm before she could approach the club. "Wait," she insisted. "Look there."

She pointed towards the front door; there was a red decal on the window that Shiie had never paid attention to, a stylized skull-and-crossbones design. "That decal?" she asked. "What about it?"

"I suppose you wouldn't have paid attention to it before you knew about the Game," Viialless admitted. "But look at the skull."

Shiie focused on the skull for a moment before recognition hit. "That's..." She reached for her Player Pin. "So that's where I'd seen this before."

"That's a modulator decal," Viialless explained. "If Players or Reapers make contact with it, they're visible to the civilians. When it's mounted on a building, anyone in the structure is forced into the Realground."

"Realground?" Shiie echoed. "What does that mean?"

Viialless turned to her. "Oh. We never finished that conversation on Day 3, did we?" She shook her head. "Every city in the purview of the Reaper's Game has two layers. The 'Realground' - which is where the civilians exist - and the 'Underground' - where the Game happens. Anything in the Realground is visible to the Underground, but not vice versa. And the inhabitants of the two can't directly interact with each other."

"Is that how that works?" Shiie murmured. "And you're saying that if I go into the club, then the Realground can see me?"

"Yes," Viialless confirmed. Then, when Shiie started towards the building; "Wait-!"

"I'm sorry," Shiie insisted, "I just-"

"If you're trying to meet with someone again," Viialless insisted, "you can't."

Shiie turned to her. "What?"

"The modulator decals only exist so that the Reapers can assign missions for Players to do something to the Realground," Viialless explained. "But they can't have Players starting panics because someone in the Realground recognizes someone who they know to be dead. No one you knew before you died will recognize you. And if you try and force them to, the Reapers might intervene."

"But..." Shiie's gaze fell. "Why...?"

"Because the civilians have no impact on the end of the Game," Viialless proclaimed. "And if you get erased before the Game ends, or you choose to get erased because you didn't get to go back, they don't want those people to have false hope."

There was quiet in Cybernation for a long moment; then Shiie pulled her arm from her partner's grip.

"I'm doing this mission."

Viialless blinked. "What?"

"The Game Master wants us to 'end the music'," she insisted. "Maybe we can do this without hurting anyone. If we don't, Marion and his team will barge in here. They were willing to do everything else the Game Master asked for while they were looking for the Conductor, how do you think they'll finish this mission?"

"...Alright," Viialless conceded. "But the civilians don't know us. And you're not to change anything about that."

"Fine."

* * *

The bouncer was on duty when Shiie and Viialless stepped in. As they glanced around, he set down his drink to greet them. "ID, please."

Shiie's lips were forming a curse when Viialless spoke up. "Is this place not affiliated with the R Club?" She seized her Player Pin from her trousers and raised it. "I thought we just needed to have you scan our Black Skull pins."

A look of incredulity rose on the bouncer's face. "And I'm supposed to believe you two are part of that group?"

"Yes," Viialless confirmed. "Here..." She held out her pin to him. "Scan mine while I help her with hers."

The bouncer accepted the pin, stepping around the counter; Shiie waited until Viialless had started to detach her pin before whispering, "R Club?"

"It's the Reapers' way of getting the Players into age-restricted areas without scanning IDs and bringing up dead people," Viialless explained. "Our Player Pins come up as 'members of the R Club'. Unless some elementary kid gets entered into the Game, there's usually no trouble. And if an elementary kid _does_ get entered, the Game Masters base their missions accordingly."

"You're good," the bouncer sighed. "Just the one is fine." He tossed the pin back to Viialless, who caught it and reaffixed Shiie's as the bouncer seized his drink. "I'll let the servers know so they don't give you trouble."

Shiie winced at the mention, starting inside. The track was just ending, and as they stepped into the dance area, a new one started up; she came to a halt as she recognized the intro. "Wait, this is..."

Viialless turned to her. "What is it?"

"This is one of my songs," Shiie insisted. "I gave this one to Juhachi the day I lost my legs. He still puts my songs on the rotation?"

"How long were you dead before the Game?" Viialless asked.

Shiie drew out her phone, checking the date. "That was... only two days before it started," she realized.

"Your friends are devoted to their work," Viialless observed. "Your songs must be-"

"No," Shiie realized. "Juhachi wouldn't..." She shook her head. "A DJ needs to be able to understand the mood of the crowd. He refuses to man the booth when he's in a bad mood. And Asano - Juhachi _grabs_ Asano when he tries to force himself to come here if he's depressed or worried. Why are they still working?"

She turned and started to push her way through the crowd, ignoring Viialless yelling at her back. Before long, she found the door that the servers were coming in through; as someone exited with a platter of cocktails, she seized the door and flung it open, starting inside...

And bouncing off of someone's chest.

"Woah!" The exclmation was in a familiar voice; Shiie raised her gaze to find a familiar bespectacled face standing there, with two capless bottles of Zima in one hand. "Hey, careful... Patrons aren't supposed to be coming in here. I'm sorry if-"

"Asano?"

Shiie's whispered gasp interrupted him. "I'm sorry?"

"I... Should you be working?" Shiie had to force herself not to ask his recognition. "What are you doing here?"

"Should I not be?" Asano asked. "Is there a-"

"You are Shinosato Asano, aren't you?" Shiie asked. "Didn't you... I thought something terrible had happened..."

"Terrible?" Asano asked. "I don't know what you're talking about. Nothing's happened recently that should really be called 'terrible'."

"A week ago?" Shiie insisted. "Outside the sushi restaurant, just out of DIVA District..."

Asano chuckled. "Oh, that? Yeah, my sister and I were attacked by someone... But he was apprehended before it got serious, it was just a few bruises. Yoruko had a concussion, but-"

Shiie stumbled back. "It wasn't just... You weren't...." She shook her head. "Just you two?"

"Y-Yeah," Asano insisted. "Just me and her."

Tears welled in Shiie's eyes. "What...?"

"Is something wrong?" Asano asked. "Look, you're not supposed to-"

"No!" Shiie's left arm thrust forward, slamming into his chest - but Asano's build gave him more inertia than she had the strength to move, and the motion threw her prosthetic legs off-balance. Shiie tumbled back, falling through the door and landing upon the floor of the club; she couldn't even force herself to rise, terrified at what she had learned.

Asano quickly stepped forward. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Here, let me-" He set the bottles of Zima down, careful to leave them upright, and offered a hand before double-taking at her legs. "Woah, you're... I'm surprised you came here like that," he admitted. "Where did you get those? Prosthetics like that are..."

Shiie's right arm went for one of the bottles, and such a simple motion as seizing the neck was enough that the prosthetic didn't fail her; Asano had no chance to react before she slammed it into the side of his head, causing a slight spill of the drink as it struck. The glass of the bottle was solid enough that it didn't break, but Asano was still left reeling, falling to the floor as Shiie dragged herself away; hands under her arms were all the warning she got before someone pulled her to her feet, and she didn't have a chance to retaliate before Viialless' voice in her ear demanded, "What are you doing?"

"Let me go!" Shiie wrenched herself free of her partner's grip and took off, circling the wall of the club to approach the DJ booth. Juhachi was inside when she got there; she didn't waste a moment trying to talk to him, striking him with the bottle as well. The blow had him reeling, and another knocked him clean out; Shiie forced him from his chair before turning to the player. The memory stick she had given Juhachi was sticking up out of the player; her left hand found the keys, bringing up the information for the current track.

_Machine Muzik - Artist Unknown_

Something snapped in Shiie's mind; she raised the bottle and slammed it down upon the system with an angry yell. The weight of the swing and the structure of the target was enough to earn an unpleasant _crack_ as the base hit the panel, and the contact with the buttons interrupted the track; some of the drink scattered from the abrupt downward motion, splattering upon the panel. The mood in the club changed as Shiie raised the bottle and slammed it down again, and again, and again; buttons were damaged, the build started to deform, and cracks started to spread across the bottle as she attacked the DJ equipment in a fury.

The seventh blow was too much for the bottle to take; it shattered as it connected with the panel, glass shards and alcohol scattering across the surface. Enough moisture had struck her arm by now that her prosthetic was starting to act up; her fingers went limp on the remainder of the bottle, the neck falling to the ground as the liquid seeped into the panel. Shiie stumbled back, slumping against the wall of the booth and closing her eyes.

The ringing of a fire alarm echoed through the club; patrons started to scream as the crowd evacuated. Shiie barely registered the chaos before a hand seized her shoulder; she opened her eyes to find Viialless standing there. "Shiie, what is going on?!"

"I... ended the music," Shiie murmured.

Viialless turned to the panel. "That's gonna light up before too long. Get out of here, I'll get the DJ!"

She started towards Juhachi; Shiie's left hand seized the memory stick, pulling it from the player, before she started out of the DJ booth.

* * *

Emergency responders had arrived at the club by the time there was any significant fire damage; Asano had been evacuated by his fellow servers, and Viialless had handed Juhachi off to the bouncer before she had left the building, preventing the discrepancy between the Realground and the Underground from hurting anyone. By the time they had woken, their friends and family had been contacted; Viialless watched as a girl with matching hair dashed up to Asano, seizing him in a worried hug as a redheaded woman approached Juhachi.

With a sigh, she turned to Shiie, who was sitting on the curb clear across the plaza; her prosthetic hand was limp, but the arm itself was still working, and was supporting the other as she buried her face in them.

"What was that about?"

Shiie lifted her tearful gaze to Viialless, who had approached her without her noticing. "I thought you didn't want them to get hurt. Isn't that why you said you wanted to do the mission? So that the illegal Players wouldn't be tempted to shoot anyone? Why did you attack them?"

"They..." Shiie hid her face again. "They forgot about me... Asano forgot about me...! I was right there in front of him! He got hurt trying to defend me! _Zaha shot me in front of him!_ " She shook her head. "But all he remembers is Yoruko getting hurt! He didn't even acknowledge I was there! I died in front of him, and he _forgot about me!_ "

"Shiie..."

"And... And it wasn't just them." She held out her hand, revealing the memory stick in her grip. "My music... I made this song from scratch. Spent hours working on synthesizers to make it sound the way I wanted it to. But there's nothing... The music is there, but my name is gone!" Her fist closed around the stick. "Even my own music doesn't remember that I'm the one who made it!"

Viialless turned towards Gold Transistor again, watching Asano and Juhachi conversing, as Shiie continued to cry.

"Do you care about your friends?"

The question drew Shiie's attention. "What?"

"You said his name was Asano?" Shiie turned to her. "You care about him? And his friends and family?"

"Y-Yeah," Shiie admitted. "Of course I care about them."

She set her hand upon her left eye - her blind eye. "Growing up, people always avoided me for this... Thought it was some contagion that could make them blind... Yoruko was the first one who was willing to spend time with me despite it. And when she introduced me to her brother, Asano didn't care about it. He didn't even acknowledge it until Aika asked me about it." She shook her head. "I was so happy... Knowing people who were willing to spend time with me - who even acknowledged my existence..."

"And you cherished that," Viialless realized. "People who acknowledged your existence."

Shiie lowered her hand. "What?"

"I told you on Day 3," Viialless reminded her. "The Reapers take something from you in order to enter you into the Reaper's Game - what they deem you value most." She stepped up to Shiie. "After so many people refused to acknowledge you were there, and you finally met someone who did, what do you think you value most?"

"You mean...?"

Viialless nodded. "They took it. The memory of you - from everything."

**Proof of Existence  
** **Chapter Closed**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Shiie is treated as Watsonian creator of Machine Muzik for the purposes of the story. Copyright for the song goes to Doylist creator Deino.


	8. Player: Day 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> My character tags are so haphazard. I didn't really pick my Reapers in advance for this one. When I'm done the story, I'm gonna order those properly.

"This is... really elaborate."

Naka Gumi and Kamui Gakupo had both arrived early to the rehearsal studio where Glory Music recorded; the two Reapers were reading through the eight-man song that Kaito and Meiko had put together, and both were impressed by the effort put into it.

Miku nodded. "It's different, isn't it? It takes a lot more effort to make a song tell a story than it does to just make it share a mood."

"This first part, though..." Gumi moved back to the first sheet. "Your first line here is at a totally different tempo. What's the point of that?"

"You ask that question after you heard This is the Happiness and Peace of Mind Committee?" Miku asked. "It's meant to give the song extra impact when you hear it the second time."

Gakupo raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I follow you."

Miku sighed. "Like, for example, the first time you hear a song, you don't know what's going to happen. So when the bait-and-switch hits, you immediately pay attention to the main body, you sort of... disregard the different parts. But when you listen to it the second time, you know the mood that the rest of the song carries, and so you listen to the different parts with that knowledge. It changes how you interpret the song."

"You mean like watching a movie the second time, knowing who the traitor is, and paying extra attention to their actions because now you know the real motive?" Gumi asked.

"Exactly." Miku glanced. "That being said, it's tricky to switch so abruptly between one tempo and another. We usually record them separately for our first time and splice it together in editing to make sure it sounds nice before trying to play it all in one go."

The doors opened, and Luka stepped in. "Hey, early birds," she greeted. "How are the first impressions?"

The rest of Glory Music had arrived before too long, and everyone took their positions. Recording new songs for the first time was a very different practice with this group than rehearsing for a concert; Rin and Len had an ear for instrumental propriety, and tended to do the instrumentals with synthesizers before everyone got the vocals ready. Once the twins had set up the (main body of the) music, everyone equipped their headsets, listening to the track before Miku took the lead with the vocals.

" _Bukimi na youkan no kowareta tobira o tataku  
_「 _Dareka imasen ka_ 」"

"「 _Oya, oya okomari desu ka?_ 」"

Gakupo joined in without hesitation, clearly no stranger to providing vocals as a partner. The Kagamine twins had the next lines, flawlessly finishing the sentence for each other with the perfect synchronicity they always saved for songs, Halloween, and someone being on their nerves.

"「 _Youkoso..._ 」"  
"「 _...fushigi no yakata e..._ 」"

"「 _Ocha o meshi agare~_ 」"

Gumi had a smile on her face at her line, amused by the old-fashioned story that the first verse seemed to be telling. Miku found herself smiling back as she, Luka, and Meiko alternated on the next line.

" _Min'na min'na-_ "  
"- _atsumatte-_ "  
"- _kyakujin wa-_ "  
"- _'nebumi' o sareru_ "

"「 _D_ _emo koushite au nomo nanika no en!_ 」" Kaito proclaimed with a hostly flourish.

"「「 _Nara paatii, paatii!_ 」」" The twins cheered.

"「「「「「「「 _Kangei shiyou!_ 」」」」」」」" 

The joyful mood had spread to the rest of the band; Gumi and Gakupo had taken to the vocals like fish to water, and now Glory Music was in their element.

"「 _Hurry, hurrY!_ 」" Len hastened.

"「 _Wain o tsui de,_ 」" Gakupo insisted professionally.

"「 _Don chan, don chan,_ 」" Gumi tuttered.

"「 _Kanpai shimashou!_ 」" Luka toasted.

"「 _Are you readY?_ 」" Rin inquired.

"「 _Junbi wa ii?_ 」" Meiko mused regally.

"「「「「「「「 _Saa hajime you!_ 」」」」」」」"

* * *

When Shiie next opened her eyes, she was lying in Starmine Square. As she started to sit up, she moved her right hand forward; the Reapers had apparently done her the favour of fixing the water damage to her prosthetic, as the hand was answering her directions again. Viialless' hand extended into her vision, and she accepted the help getting to her feet as her phone went off.

_Reaper's Game: Day 6_  
_Task: See to the self-destruction in Ashes Square_  
_Time limit: 300 minutes_  
_What is unfinished is to be destroyed._

"Self-destruction?" Shiie murmured.

Viialless shook her head. "They want us to encourage some suicidal," she observed.

"How would we even be able to do that?" Shiie asked. "I thought Players couldn't affect people."

"Not directly," Viialless explained. "But... there should be a new app on your phone."

Confused, Shiie tapped to her home menu, finding there was indeed a new one. "Memetic?"

"The Game Master can assign certain words, or 'memes', that Players can imprint onto civilians using their Player Pins," Viialless explained. "The right word could easily push someone who's already on the brink of self-harm to finish themselves off."

Shiie shook her head, pocketing her phone again. "Not this one," she proclaimed.

Viialless nodded. "I'd hoped not." She crossed her arms. "So... do you have any intentions in the meantime?"

"No," Shiie insisted. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I... overreacted."

"With the experiences you described," Viialless explained, "I don't blame you."

Shiie sighed. "Don't suppose... you know anywhere with good ice cream that the Players can access?"

* * *

The ice cream stop in Rouge Square turned out to have been the victim of the break-in on Day 2, and was currently closed for operations due to the broken window and door. The Players had started back down Aqua Street when something crossed Amaretto ahead of them - a figure of blinding white.

"Did you...?"

"Yeah," Viialless confirmed.

As fast as Shiie's prosthetics could reliably move her, the two of them started up Amaretto, finding the figure in white quickly vanishing into DIVA's crowds. They were almost to Cybernation when they noticed movement into the Garden of the White Knight; when the Players stepped in, however, they found someone standing there who couldn't possibly be their target - a dark man with buzzed black hair, in a formal-looking black suit, with rings adorning his fingers, open-backed headphones upon his ears, and a pair of the most opaque sunglasses Shiie had ever seen. A positively miniscule pair of Reaper wings emerged from his back, so small that for a moment, she mistook them for decorative spikes on his outfit.

He seemed quite surprised to see them, what's more. "What's this? Players?" He stepped forward. "What reason do you have to be here?"

"Who are you?" Shiie asked.

"I am Cyber Songman," the man introduced, "Conductor and second of Cyber Diva." He glanced between them. "The mission for today has already been issued. Why are you not attempting to complete it?"

Shiie shook her head. "For one thing, we're not horrible people," she insisted. "For another, we thought we saw-"

"Horrible is a matter of perspective."

The voice from the edge of I_O Walk drew their attention; Shiie, Viialless, and Cyber Songman all turned to find the woman in white from Day 3 standing on the other side of the river that ran through the Garden. Her hand was raised, and she made to swing it down towards the Conductor; Shiie didn't even think, slamming herself into Cyber Songman and knocking him to the ground.

And a beam of light slammed into the grass where he had been standing.

The Garden was on a slight slope towards the river - and slight is enough to keep momentum rolling. Shiie and Cyber Songman tumbled almost into the water before the Conductor managed to separate and halt, Shiie stopping against him; Viialless quickly dashed down after them as the woman in white lowered her hand.

"It doesn't matter how 'horrible' you think the mission is," she proclaimed as Shiie was helped to her feet. "If the Game Master tells you to do something, you do it. Or you get erased."

"We only get erased if _none_ of the Players manage to complete the mission," Viialless corrected. "So long as there are more than two Players in the Game, no mission requires everyone to put in the effort, as a necessity. If we are not returned to life because we chose not to bow to the whims of a sadist, that is no one's concern but ours."

"Typical civilians," the woman criticized. "Standing back, and leaving all the dirty work to the soldiers. As long as the fight doesn't come to you, you don't care if they're killed in action."

Shiie turned to her. "Killed in...? You know about them!?"

The woman set her fingertip against her chin with an expression of mock surprise. "Oh, damn my muscle memory. It's 'erased in action' here, isn't it?"

She grinned, taking off towards Ashes Square, and Shiie growled. "Stop!"

Viialless took her hand, helping Shiie up the slope; the moment they were on Amaretto, they took off after the woman in white. This time, she wasn't far enough ahead for them to lose her; she detoured down Parallel Circuit, cut through Tengaku onto Two Kind Walk, and had come to a stop in front of the Flower Fight Memorial as the Players caught up with her.

"My, my," the woman mused, turning to face them. "Persistent, aren't we?"

"Talk," Shiie demanded. "How do you know about Marion's soldiers?"

The woman shook her head. "They're alive," she observed. "And when someone is alive, they should exist in the Realground - and the Realground alone. Only Players should exist in the Underground - and only Reapers should be changing between them at will."

"What are you saying?" Shiie demanded. "The Reapers brought them here?"

"Hardly," the woman reprimanded. "The Reapers don't exist at high enough frequency for that. They can move mundane items like their belongings to the Underground, but living people? That requires something far more powerful than your average Reaper."

Shiie shook her head. "It couldn't be the Composer," she insisted. "They said they were trying to get rid of the Composer!"

The woman laughed. "Oh, you're so sweet! I love getting the chance to spell it out!"

"Spell _what_ out?" Shiie demanded.

"Everyday people exist in the Realground," the woman explained. "That's the plane at the lowest frequency. Reapers can travel between the two, but they lose their wings in the Realground - and all their power with them. In order to be Reapers - to be stronger than humans - they have to exist in the Underground, a plane at a higher frequency than the Realground." She reached for her hair, long enough to vanish into her cloak. "So... what would you call something at a higher frequency than the Underground? Something that exists above a Reaper?"

Shiie's eyes widened.

The woman lashed her hand out, freeing her hair from her collar - and a brilliant light began to shine around her. From her back emerged a pair of great, feathered wings in brilliant bright hues. As they took full form, each almost twice the length of her arm, the light faded away - but the wings themselves were no less radiant, brighter even than her impossibly white cloak.

"My name is Sing Love. I'm an Angel from the Higher Plane."

**Unholy  
** **Chapter Closed**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Meiko and Kaito are treated as Watsonian creators of Bad ∞ End ∞ Night for the purposes of the story. Copyright for the song goes to Doylist creator Hitoshizuku-P.


	9. Player: Day 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> So, Draco is... quite frankly, he's shit for translyrics. (Shut up, yes you are.) He's good at -improving- translyrics, some people translate too literally or not literally enough and he's good at tweaking them to hit the sweetspot, but he can't do translyrics from scratch. Even if he gets a literal translation, he can't adapt that to lyrics that fit the music and sound good. But for the opening of EveR ∞ LastinG ∞ NighT, he came up with the PERFECT translation of the 'slower intro' portion. It's so bittersweet. He has this perfect intro and no way to follow up with it. I hope I get the chance to use it somewhere in one of my Precedent stories the way I did with translations of Black Rock Shooter lines in Reaping.

"A bit much to have everyone at once for the whole chorus, isn't it?"

Gumi and Miku were listening to the previous day's recording, assessing the performances. As much as Miku lacked in skill with playing an instrument, the rest of Glory Music trusted her judgement for vocal inflection; for those select few songs that had most or all of them participating at once, she was left to listen to the recordings after every session and judge how many and who should be singing when.

This being Gumi's first time joining them in the vocals, Miku had invited her to join in on the assessment. Hatsune's comment had Gumi nodding in agreement. "Yeah, it's... it works for the start, but the rest of it just sounds like everyone's trying to be heard the loudest." She thought for a moment. "Maybe... have the whole group just for the start and the end of it?"

"Why do you say the end?" Miku asked.

"Well, for the first one, it sounds like a toast," Gumi observed. " _Tanoshin jae Happy☆nighT!_ " She raised her hand like she was raising a wineglass and inviting Miku to meet it. "And then for the others, it's just that terrible echo of the first time."

Miku hummed. "That's fair enough," she admitted.

She and Gumi removed their headphones. "So," Naka mused, "can I ask a weird question?"

"Yeah," Miku sighed, having seen this coming, "go for it."

"Is there a reason why you've been asking everyone about Calne Ca?" Gumi asked. "I know the Reaper's Game changed you for the better, but I didn't think you'd have such fond memories of the Cantus."

"That's part of the reason _why_ I've been asking," Miku insisted. "Everyone calls her 'Cantus', acting like she was never anything else."

"That's because most of us didn't _know_ her as anything else," Gumi defended. "Me and Gakupo only joined the Reapers a few years before she was GM the first time, and she was pretty solitary even then. Everyone else only learned about her from reading the reports in the Pad after the fact." She shook her head. "Calne Ca wasn't trying to become a full Cantus, she was just trying to compensate for her weakness. So she only went halfway - which meant she couldn't go back on purpose. And then Cyber Diva made to 'reward' her without telling her the Composer had the power to unmake it. When Calne Ca asked for isolation, Cyber Diva made her rack up score sitting in Machine Muzik."

"Sounds like your predecessor wasn't exactly the most benevolent Composer," Miku observed.

"She called herself _Cyber Diva_ ," Gumi pointed out.

Miku snickered, and then tried to hide it. "I mean... you called yourself the master of DIVA after calling DIVA a 'hellish yard', so..."

"That was-" Gumi turned red. "I wasn't thinking straight. I said it in a rage. Cyber Diva was only ever known **as** Cyber Diva, and never appeared to anyone in person. Nothing could convince me that was a heat-of-the-moment moniker."

"Fair enough."

Gumi changed the subject. "So... what was the other reason?"

"...Did Haku tell you about the aftermath of the _Reappearance_ concert?"

* * *

When Shiie woke, she was lying before the Flower Fight Memorial - right where she had passed out. It was rather early in the day, such that the sun was not visible behind DIVA's buildings, only its light reaching above. Viialless was pacing across the edge of Two Kind Walk; as she noticed Shiie starting to rise, she made to approach, offering her hand. "Are you alright?"

"Just... a little shaken," Shiie admitted.

Viialless nodded. "I don't blame you."

* * *

_"My name is Sing Love. I'm an Angel, from the Higher Plane."_

_"What?" Shiie stepped back, terrified. "An... Angel?"_

_Sing Love spread her hands at her sides. "We of the Higher Plane have power to which not even the Composer can compare. It was a simple matter to bring the Player Survival Squadron and their gear to the Underground, and bestow them with Player Pins to keep the Reapers from getting suspicious."_

_"Why have you brought them here?" Viialless demanded. "To kill the Composer? If Angels are so powerful, why couldn't you stop her yourself?"_

_"Because for an Angel to depose the Composer must be the will of the Higher Plane entire," Sing Love proclaimed. "If I were to cast her out, the Higher Plane would know my intentions - and they would see me Fall."_

_Shiie shook her head. "What are trying to do?"_

_"Whosoever defeats the Composer takes the throne for themselves," Sing Love observed. "And the Composer has complete dominion over the rules of the Underground in which they reside. So, if soldiers who think the Reaper's Game a farce should take the Composer's throne... what, then, do you think they will do to the Game itself?"_

_A golden light appeared before her, slowly circling around her._

_"Will they return Players to life unconditionally, and bring chaos to the living?"_

_The light turned crimson when it passed in front of her, and another gold began to circle her at the opposite position._

_"Will they strip all the Reapers of their wings, and let the Noise be the arbiters of life and erasure?"_

_A cobalt light appeared equidistant between crimson and gold, whose rotations altered so that the three circled her in trigram._

_"Or will they be rid of the Game entire, believing that those who die should be reduced to scattered Soul immediately?"_

_The lights began to accelerate around her, and she raised her hands above her. "I cannot wait to see it."_

_Viialless stepped forward. "If your soldiers survive the seventh day, they will be realized as illegal Players - and the Conductor will erase them unconditionally."_

_"Perhaps," Sing Love conceded. "But a soldier does not survive by being slow to draw his weapon. When they are put before the Conductor, it will be a shootout - between the quick and the dead."_

_The lights converged above her, and she lifted off the ground, soaring into them as a blinding flash flooded the area._

_When Shiie could see again, she and Viialless were alone._

* * *

"Did you know?" Shiie asked. "About Angels?"

Viialless turned towards where Sing Love had vanished. "I... thought they were a myth," she admitted. "The Reapers never mentioned them."

Shiie shook her head. "We... we have to tell the Conductor. If what she said is true, and Marion's soldiers kill the Composer-!"

"They would never be able to kill the Composer," Viialless proclaimed. "She's too powerful. Besides, if they're enough of Players to be under the Reapers' radar, they'll be passing out at the end of each mission - which means the Conductor will be able to disarm them."

"If he knows about them!" Shiie insisted. "We can't just-!"

Her phone went off in her pocket; the mission had arrived.

 _Mission: Erase the Game Master.  
_ _He awaits in Cybernation Plaza.  
You have 600 minutes.  
Fail, and face erasure.  
~The Reapers_

"Ten hours to defeat the Game Master," Shiie observed. "Fukase won't stand a chance against- Ah!" She yelped as the timer appeared on her palm.

"Perhaps not," Viialless admitted. "But he would have taken the position knowing the risks. And with the missions he's been giving so far, he's deserved it."

Shiie closed her eyes. "Maybe, but-"

She was cut off when her phone rang a second time - and a message from a different sender appeared.

 _Bonus Game for Miss Cripple  
_ _Come find me atop the heart of DIVA.  
You have 60 minutes.  
Fail, and suffer beyond erasure.  
~Sing Love_

"What!?"

"She's threatening you?" Viialless turned in the direction of 39. "We can't let that slide."

* * *

"Composer? Composer!"

Cyber Songman was in Reaper territory, with information for his superior - yet she refused to answer. The Composer resided in an isolated room whose access was only known to herself and her Conductor, and the door itself was nonexistent when she did not want it to be; Cyber Songman stood at the end of a dead-end hallway, his hand against a wall that looked like black marble, as he tried to get her attention.

"Composer, please!" he insisted. "I've discovered something you must hear. Please, answer me!"

Silence still; Cyber Songman set his brow against the surface.

"...Diva. I ask you grace me with your presence."

His phone went off; he reached into his pocket and drew it out to find a message waiting for him.

 _Mission: A Fallen Angel has introduced illegal Players.  
Erase them and pass judgement on their conspirators.  
You have 24 hours.  
Fail, and face erasure.  
~The Composer_

* * *

39 was largely empty as the two Players entered; the central elevator took them up without incident. Shiie was concerned to find the rooftop empty, turning to Viialless. "Where is she?"

"Hiding," Viialless proposed. "Let me go first."

She stepped out onto the rooftop, turning to look upon the structure that held the elevator as soon as she was in the open. When she found nothing, her gaze swept across the area from the center of the roof; then she reached for her Player Pin, and was still for a long moment. With a sigh, she turned to Shiie, beckoning her forward.

Shiie was still hesitant; she reached her prosthetic arm out into the open ahead of herself.

A blinding light permeated her senses - and her arm refused to withdraw.

When she could see again, a face with hair like platinum stood before her - and a hand was locked with hers.

"Hello, there~"

She dragged Shiie out of the elevator box, throwing her towards Vialless; she tumbled across the rooftop, coming to a stop at her partner's feet. Sing Love's brilliant wings were alight behind her; a large weapon was held in (or possibly worn upon) one hand, looking vaguely like a firearm of some sort, but with an angular, stylistic form that would never work for a mundane weapon. As the elevator closed behind her, she started to approach with slow, taunting steps.

"To think you actually did me the honor of taking part in my little bonus game," the Angel mused. "And after you were so acquiescing to my tastes yesterday."

Viialless helped Shiie to her feet. "Your illegal Players will never defeat the Composer," she proclaimed. "You expect too much of them."

"Perhaps I do," Sing Love confessed. "But then again, perhaps you're the one expecting too much of the Reapers. Of pretentious individuals who were scared to risk their Soul again, and chose to fight in the hierarchy of the Underground rather than try to return to life."

"You think so little of the Reaper's Game?" Viialless accused. "Small wonder you brought those soldiers here for such a ridiculous reason."

"What fun is a Game if it is always played the same?" Sing Love accused. "If the stakes are never raised, and the moves are predetermined, it is dreadfully dull." She aimed a finger of her free hand at Shiie. "Your partner has made this Game more interesting than any other - for refusing to partake in the missions of a cruel Game Master, knowing the cost. But if the next one is not so 'horrible', will she bow to the missions? Will she become just another piece on the board?"

She raised her weapon at her side; the change in angle made it clear that it was held, but the barrel (if it could be called that) was nearly as long as her arm, to the point of having a rise towards its back end as though expecting to accommodate a shoulder. "If the Player Survival Squadron strikes down the Composer, the Game will change. And no matter what form that change takes, _change_ , alone, is better."

"The Reaper's Game is sacred," Viialless proclaimed. "You said yourself that the Higher Plane will see you Fall for this."

"I know that they would see me Fall before I could complete it, if they knew in advance," Sing Love countered. "But what if they see the results? If they judge based on what it is, rather than what it might be... perhaps my sins will be deemed justified." She grinned. "And if not, what better way to earn erasure than seeing the results of my work? Such high stakes... this is precisely the Game I choose to play."

"Then _you_ will **lose** ," Shiie proclaimed.

Sing Love's smile fell; golden lines stretched across the surface of her weapon as she turned it forward, and Shiie and Viialless moved apart as she fired. A blast of brilliant light soared forward, vanishing into the horizon over the skyline of Diola as Viialless raised her hand; light gathered in her palm for a moment, and then burst forward in a high-speed ray. Sing Love leapt into the air to let it soar beneath her, her wings spreading to keep her and her weapon aloft.

Shiie's great blade appeared in her grip while the Angel's attention was on her partner; as Sing Love took aim at Viialless to fire again, she stepped forward and swung it into a skyward arc, finding the reach of the blade was enough to slash at the Angel's legs. She yelped, moving away, as the blade vanished and then reappeared when she shifted her grip; that gave Vialless the opportunity to ready another shot, and the Angel only realized it was coming an instant before the next ray slammed into her, leaving her tumbling to the rooftop.

As soon as she landed, Shiie charged forward, managing four rapid steps without falling and getting close enough to swing her blade in a wide forward arc. Sing Love met the blow on the barrel of her weapon, which promptly started to _shift_ ; Shiie's weapon vanished, and she stumbled back as the barrel twisted, distorted, until she was holding a scythe still decorated with those golden lines. Shiie barely had time to throw herself to the floor before that weapon was swung her way, mirroring the motion of her own blade and slashing through where her heart had been an instant before.

The weapon was on the opposite side of her body when Viialless fired her ray; the attack slammed into Sing Love's side, and Shiie slammed her right hand to the surface below her, trying to get her prosthetics to move as her blade appeared in her left hand. She had successfully righted herself to the point that her knees were below her torso before Sing Love tried to attack her; Shiie brought the weapon up in a rising swing, beating the scythe away and glancing across the Angel's other arm in the process.

She set her right foot against the ground as her weapon faded, anticipating her partner's next ray - but their opponent had seen it coming, and leapt into the air to avoid the blow. Then, as Shiie tried to stand, the Angel made to bring her weapon down, and Shiie barely managed to avoid being impaled, the blade tearing through the front of her top as she stumbled back. Sing Love quickly acted while she was still reeling, twisting around the handle of the scythe and driving a kick into Shiie's chest that threw her across the rooftop.

The Player had yet to land before Sing Love abandoned her weapon; she charged forward, her hand lunging forward to seize Shiie by the neck.

Someone else got in the way.

Shiie barely had time to process what was happening; Sing Love didn't even hesitate from the change in victim, raising Viialless upwards before she could begin to cry out and slamming her against the roof of 39.

And Viialless vanished.

A scream ripped out of Shiie as she saw her partner disappear, Viialless' pins tumbling towards her and clattering to a stop. The Angel blinked, her head pulling back as though she only realized what had happened after the fact; she stood upright, loosing a long, slow breath as she regarded the helpless Player.

"Well... colour me surprised. I certainly wasn't expecting _you_ to go down before her." She slammed her foot to the surface below her, and her scythe seemed to pry itself out of the rooftop as though it had been blasted out, tumbling hapharzardly towards her until her hand swung back to seize the shaft. "Still... all the better." A rush of movement cleaved through Shiie's prosthetics, leaving them sparking at the joints as she cried out in terror. "A Player erased will take their partner with them within seven minutes... but seven minutes is a _generous_ period to play a song." The Angel stepped forward, setting her scythe against the ground just over Shiie's neck, preventing her from crawling away; her foot lifted up, setting against Shiie's shoulder. "And can anyone name anything that cannot provide a beat, if not a note?"

She started to apply pressure, and Shiie cried out at the pain that started to wrack her body.

"I cannot wait... to hear the gentle sounds of your corpse..."

Something invaded the blinding white of Sing Love's garments - a rush of black, and a scattering of red. Shiie had no time to comprehend what had happened before a brief spray of blood scattered across her face; by some fortune, none had landed upon her good eye, giving her a view of the sharpened black tip that emerged from her attacker's chest. Sing Love's face had fallen, and she slowly looked down towards the edge, terror filling her eyes.

"How...?"

_You will hear no such thing!_

The furious voice was not spoken, but heard nonetheless - the Angel's eyes widened, and made to move. Her foot landed on the other side of Shiie's head from her weapon, which was pried from the surface, and she stepped forward, prying her body off the blade and turning towards it as Shiie tried to understand what she was seeing.

A girl stood there - she seemed no older than Shiie, with fair skin that she would swear could not grow any darker without burning; black hair was drawn into uneven twintails, short and sharp on her right, long and flowing on her left. A hooded jacket rested upon her body, open to reveal she wore nothing but a black bra underneath, its sleeves long enough to consume the cuffs of the black gloves that covered her hands; a pair of black shorts were visible just above its lower ridge, on which were holstered what appeared to be a pair of pistols. A pair of black boots reached almost to her knees, and a pair of black stockings crested them to halfway up her thighs; bound to one leg was what seemed to be a ring in which to sheathe the blue-edged katana in her left hand, with a blade that jut forth and then arced back two-thirds up the blade.

Her eyes were a furious blue that seemed to **burn** as she glared at the attacking Angel.

"Black Rock Shooter...!" She braced the scythe before her, panicking. "No...! What are you doing here!?"

 _I am the Producer of DIVA._ Her lips did not move; her voice echoed silently in the air, and was heard clearly in the minds of all around her. _I alone am permit to take action against the sins of those who oversee the Reaper's Game. And if a Fallen Angel should pervert my domain, it is **my** responsibility to brand them as traitors to the Higher Plane - and **execute** them, should it be within my power!_

"Brand...?" Sing Love's gaze drifted to her wings, and she was terrified to see them as stained as her cloak, gradiating from white at the base to a dark grey at the tip. "No...!"

 _Sing Love!_ The Producer raised her weapon forward. _You have violated the laws of Reaper's Game and brought illegal Players to the Underground, with intention to desecrate the judgement of the deceased! We of the Higher Plane condemn you as a Fallen_ _Angel..._

A bright blue flame burned around her left eye, radiating power. 

_...and sentence your Soul to oblivion!_

Shiie forced herself to move aside; Black Rock Shooter rushed forward, and Sing Love barely had time to raise her scythe before the blade in the Producer's grip struck it. One hand was knocked from it, and when she tried to move the weapon in defense with the other, it was struck from her grip, turning in the air off the edge of 39. She lifted off the rooftop, trying to soar out of the way - but the Producer leapt towards her, bracing the weapon over her shoulder, and Sing Love could not react before that edge was brought down upon her. The impact slammed her against the elevator's housing, and she bounced forward onto the rooftop as the Producer landed behind her, sheathing her blade.

As Sing Love tried to rise, Black Rock Shooter drew her pistols - each of a black build, but with white lining their stocks and blue at the end of their barrels - and the Fallen Angel had barely started to turn towards her before the Producer had the end of one pistol held to the edge of her right eye.

Silence atop 39.

Then, a blast - so unlike any firearm that Shiie had ever heard. Sing Love toppled forward, landing face-down upon the rooftop, and Black Rock Shooter drew her right-hand weapon away and levelled her left-hand one on the Fallen Angel's torso. A second blast sounded as a short beam of radiant blue slammed into the Angel's heart, and her body vanished into nothing, leaving only ephemeral feathers of white vanishing from where her wings had been.

Shiie was left staring at the Producer as the blue flame in her eye vanished; she returned her pistols to their holsters, and raised her gaze.

_Chiyuki Shiie._

The Player blinked, shocked by the Producer addressing her - and by the sorrow in her voice. "What...?"

_Forgive me._

She turned away, and a familiar light emerged from her back - the same light as had shone from Sing Love. Feathered white wings appeared upon the Producer, as had appeared upon her opponent, and she leapt upon the elevator housing before soaring away.

After a long moment, Shiie's gaze fell to the rooftop; the broken fragments of her prothetics still lay there, as did the pins of her partner. With a shaky breath, she tried to crawl towards them, using her one remaining arm to pull her closer; she seized the first pin she reached and raised it to where she could see it, finding a barren silver surface with the name _Photon_. As she turned it around, she found it to be the pin her partner fought with.

A cannon barrel - surrounded by a blue flame.

**Angel's Song  
** **Chapter Closed**


	10. Sentencing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Add Chapter, correct chapter publication date, assign the correct pseud. I think I'm finally in my groove.(This must be what Draco means when he talk about getting into a frenzy. Although his frenzies are usually caused by something nicer than his publishing medium being a bitch.

" _Why_ didn't you tell us you ran into _Calne Ca_ backstage?!"

Miku threw her head back with a groan. "Naka!" she accused, hoping she could be heard on what seemed to pointedly be the opposite end of the studio.

 **This** was - at least part of the reason - why Miku hadn't told the rest of Glory Music about her run-in after the _Reappearance_ concert. No sooner had she stepped into the studio, the last one to arrive for the second take on Bad ∞ End ∞ Night's vocals, than the other members of the band had swarmed her, with Luka having inadvertently knocked her down due to being at the front of the rush.

As Miku got to her feet, Rin shook her head. "You can't hide something like a run-in with a _Reaper_ from us!" she reprimanded.

"Let alone _that_ Reaper!" Len added. "Didn't she break the rules to try and get you erased?"

" _Everyone_ was breaking the rules trying to get me erased," Miku insisted - and Gumi shied away from meeting her gaze when she glanced that way. "She wasn't trying to hurt me or anything. None of the _other_ Reapers have been trying to hurt me since the last Game, why does Calne Ca get such a reaction out of you guys?"

"Haku told us she didn't bring Calne Ca back with the rest of them!" Luka reprimanded. "How was she even _there_?"

Miku sighed. "Yuzuki brought her back," she informed them.

Kaito's gaze narrowed. "Yuzu...? Was that-?"

He turned to Gakupo, who nodded. "Yes. Yuzuki Yukari was the invader from Utau City... although we didn't realize it until after she'd attacked Miku after the concert."

"But she wasn't working with Yuzuki," Miku insisted. "She _fought_ Yuzuki."

Meiko shook her head. "Still, you should have said something. Why did you keep this from us?"

"Because..." Miku's gaze fell. "...of what she said to me."

* * *

When Shiie opened her eyes, she was standing in a cavern of what appeared to be blue crystals. Yes, _standing_ \- as she glanced down at herself, she found her prosthetics intact and functioning once again. It seemed as though the Reapers were going out of their way to make sure she had two arms and two legs. Looking around, she found the area large enough to hold everyone who was there comfortably, but still small enough that three of them could have held hands and touched opposing walls; gaps in the walls seemed to lead elsewhere from here, leaving her wondering what this maze was for. Several uniformed figures standing around her - the Player Survival Squadron - along with the four other Players she had seen at the concert venue on Day 4.

Dread rose in her mind as she stepped back. "You...?"

Marion turned towards her. "So you made it," he observed. "Where's your partner?"

"What are you doing here?" Shiie asked. "How did you...?"

"Survive?" Marion accused. "Pheh. It'll take more than that Fukase to kill us."

Shiie shook her head. "Please, Marion, don't-!"

_"Interlopers!"_

The voice seemed to echo around the cavern - a voice that Shiie recognized as that of Cyber Songman. The soldiers snapped to attention as the crystals of the walls turned red; Marion went for his weapon, and found his holster empty. "What-!?"

_"The Reaper's Game is a sacred judgement of the deceased. The living have no right to interfere in the affairs of the Underground. There is no justification for your desecration."_

The soldiers fell into a tight formation with their backs to each other, everyone's gaze trained on one of the tunnels; the other four Players seemed to be panicking as Marion yelled, "Show yourself!"

_"The punishment for your crime is oblivion."_

Dark patterns began to extend under the feet of the Player Survival Squadron - not a single glyph to encompass them all, but a separate shape beneath each member's feet.

_"You who have defied the will of Cyber Diva, and you who are complicit in defying the will of Cyber Diva..."_

Similar patterns appeared beneath the other four, and one of them screamed in terror.

_"You are condemned."_

The patterns illuminated, abruptly turning a blinding white that shone up onto the illegal Players.

_"Death upon your lives - and erasure upon your Soul!"_

The light flooded the cavern, and for a long moment, Shiie could see nothing but white. When it faded, she was standing alone, and the walls had returned to blue.

"What...?" She stumbled forward, but hadn't the attention to keep her balance on her prosthetics; she fell to her knees, and nearly landed face-down upon the floor of the cave before her hands hit the ground to catch her - her good arm first. "No..."

Footsteps echoing through the cavern; a pair of formal shoes came to a halt before her, and she slowly raised her gaze to find the Conductor standing before her, lit with the blue of the crystals.

"...Why?"

"They sought to defile the law of the Underground," Cyber Songman proclaimed. "The Reaper's Game is the command of Angels, all across the globe. It is no place for the living. They must be punished, as must those who aid them." He aimed a finger towards her. "And you, too, must be punished."

"What?" Shiie pulled back, shocked. "My partner wasn't-!"

"We have no records of your partner."

Shiie blinked, terrified. Viialless had been so adamant that they report the soldiers to the Reapers; why, if she had been-?

"...But that alone does not necessarily mean they were alive," the Conductor admitted, turning around and stepping away. "They may well have been a Reaper under a false guise, one who has already died in the past. Or they may have been outcast from another Underground, and found themselves in DIVA." He raised his gaze skyward, as though there were a sky to see. "I can think of several reasons they might have been absent from our records - guessing... is simply useless."

He turned back around to face Shiie. "No, your punishment is for knowing of those interlopers, and choosing to allow them to continue. For refusing to inform us that those Players were alive, you are complicit in their actions."

Shiie let her gaze fall. "Then why didn't you erase me with the rest?"

"Because Reapers always repay their debts," Cyber Songman replied. "The Fallen Angel who brought those Players to the Underground posed a threat. You saved several Reapers from her wrath, myself included. There is a debt owed to you, and so your punishment is lesser."

He held one hand at his side, palm-up, and a pale light appeared above his hand. "Under normal circumstances, the entry fee of a surviving Player is restored upon their survival to the end of the Game. As punishment, your fee is withheld until you meet my conditions."

"And what conditions are those?" Shiie asked.

The light vanished, and Cyber Songman turned his hand forward. Shiie's gaze fell to find a small box sitting before her - once she was certain hadn't been there a moment ago. A small box of silver, with patterns like black Reaper's wings surrounding a white skull like was marked on the Player Pins.

"You will serve us," the Conductor proclaimed, "as would a Reaper. And you must carry out the duties of a Reaper to the best of your abilities." He lowered his hand. "Reapers score in accordance with how well they carry out the orders they are given - from the Game Master, or from myself. For the next three Games, your actions will be scored as would a Reaper's, and you must see the Players erased. But you will not be made a Reaper true, and cannot expect the Collective to treat you as one."

Shiie raised her gaze to the Conductor again as he folded his arms behind him. "If you should serve us satisfactorily during these next three Games, your sins are forgiven. Your fee will be returned to you, and you will be treated as would any survivor of the Reaper's Game. If you should fail, your fee is rendered non-refundable, and lost forever..."

Slowly, the Player closed her eyes, bowing her head.

"...such that not even the Angels will be able to bring it back."

* * *

The Reaper's Game did not run concurrently; the Composer would not begin the next Game until enough Players had died to participate. Shiie had until then to learn how to use the weapons that Cyber Songman had given her, in order that she could serve as a Reaper.

Pins - nineteen pins of various greyscale design, corresponding to nineteen common types of Noise, along with four pins that had skull-like patterns upon them. Reapers were not permit to attack Players directly (and Shiie had no pact with which to give her the power to do so in the first place); they could only set Noise against their victims, and hope those victims were not capable of enduring what the Noise could offer. The Noise pins, according to the Conductor, were empowered by Cyber Diva to allow Shiie to create Noise despite her lacking the power that Reapers had; the other four were 'keypins', which could be used to make and break barriers on the Players' paths.

Common Reapers were normally divided into two types; Harriers, who were granted permission to hunt Players, and Support, who manned walls at the Game Master's discretion and gave the Players conditions under which to clear them. Shiie would be given instruction by Cyber Songman on a case-by-case basis, but would otherwise be free to act however she deemed necessary.

Her overall task - erase as many Players as possible, and score enough to get her entry fee back.

Most of the Reapers did not tarry in the Underground, or even in DIVA District, while the Game wasn't on. Shiie's presence in the Underground, accustoming herself to summoning Noise and understanding the nuances of the keypins, went unnoticed by the Reaper collective as a whole; she was granted a hidden room in the Otherworld, the Reapers' domain, where she could sleep when the Reapers did not need her. Some two weeks after the end of her Game, she found herself wandering into Cybernation Plaza, three pins upon her top.

Her Player Pin, _Genocide_ , and Viialless' _Photon_.

She came to a stop before Gold Transistor, checking the time her phone; then she made her way inside.

A familiar bouncer was on duty when she stepped in, and he seemed surprised to see her. "Hey..." He stepped forward. "You again?"

Shiie nodded, reaching for her Player Pin and drawing it off. "Do you need to scan my Black Skull each time?" she asked.

"Afraid so," the bouncer confirmed, taking the Pin from her and rounding the counter. It only took a moment before he sighed, handing the pin back to her. "You're clear. I'll let the servers know about you."

With a nod, Shiie made her way inside. The club had no indications of the chaos that Shiie had inflicted upon it last time; as she stepped in, she found Asano working the tables, although the lack of constant yelling told her most of the patrons had drinks already. She took a seat at the nearest empty table, waiting for him to finish delivering the drinks he had; as he turned around, he noticed her standing there, and stepped forward.

"I hope you haven't been waiting lon-" He started, and for a moment Shiie hoped that the Conductor had been bluffing about withholding her fee - but then she realized from whence he recognized her. "Oh, you're... the patron who got lost on the day of the fire. I'm sorry, someone must have gotten me from behind. I hope you weren't hurt."

"...No, I wasn't," Shiie insisted.

Asano shook his head. "Sorry, did you want a drink?"

Shiie nodded. "I'll have a Seventh Circuit, please."

"Sure thing," Asano assured her. "Did you want a name attached to that?"

"...Call me Ca," Shiie replied.

"Kaa?" Asano asked.

"C-A," Shiie elaborated. "Ca."

Asano nodded, heading into the drink-preparation room as Shiie turned back to her table. Asano had once confided that the patrons who asked for their drinks with a 'please' were a minority, and those who thanked him for them were few even among them. She had promised that once she was of age to enter the club, she'd ask for the drink he was most proud of his ability to mix - the Seventh Circuit, a club special that even the oldest-employed servers hesitated on - with her best manners.

"Wait, are you...?'

The voice from nearby drew Shiie's attention; a familiar girl in a red-lined hoodie was standing there with a bottle of Zima, and after a moment, she realized it was a Reaper she knew. "Ruby?"

"Shiie, right?" Ruby sat down across from her. "What are you doing here?" Then, noticing her pins; "Wait, I thought you...?"

Shiie sighed. "So he's not just asking me to do it without the power, he's not telling anyone?"

"Telling anyone what?" Ruby asked.

"When I was a Player, there were a bunch of illegal Players," Shiie explained. "I knew about them, and didn't tell anyone. The Conductor said I need to be punished for that."

Ruby's gaze narrowed. "So you're not back, yet? I guess that explains how you got in here."

Shiie nodded. "I've been killing time until the next Game, when I can start actually serving my sentence. I eventually decided I'd pay this place a visit."

"You're not one of those schoolgirls who thinks alcohol's gotta be good just because it's age-restricted, are you?" Ruby accused.

Asano's voice from nearby interrupted her before she could answer. "Thank you for waiting," he prompted, drawing her attention. "Here's your Seventh Circuit."

"Thank you," Shiie praised as he sat the drink down.

A smile rose on Asano's face; then someone else called for a Vivid Cocktail, and he quickly took off to answer that. When Shiie made to pick up her drink, she found Ruby looking at her with a smile.

"Oh, I get it," she mused. "You had your eye on that guy before the Game?"

"Yes," Shiie confirmed, carefully lifting her drink with her good hand.

Ruby's face fell. "Just 'yes'?" she asked. "No tsun-tsun _It's not like that_ , no embarrassment about the age gap, just 'yes'?"

Shiie nodded. "Before the Game, maybe you would've gotten a reaction like that," she admitted. "But my entry fee opened my eyes." She shook her head. "I was stupid to hesitate."

She raised her Seventh Circuit to her lips, and took a deep draught, letting the flavour flood her senses.

**Sins Unforgiven  
** **Chapter Closed**


	11. Punishment: Day 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> I'm not expecting my hints to make sense to anyone but me, but that's because I'm straining myself to make connections that only make sense in Japanese or to someone who understands the nature of Japanese language and I'm assuming my reader base to be primarily English-speaking. When it comes to references so subtle they'd never end up under Shout-Outs on TV Tropes, I've got nothing on Draco. I once saw him describe a "synthesized voice that [x] had once heard described as a revolving sound" just because he didn't want to specifically cast Megurine Luka for a non-auditory medium.
> 
> Now imagine how he's going to react if he gets an audiobook done by the devoted sort of people who go out of their way to give individual characters fitting voices.

" _Shizuka ni natta heyo no natta  
Hakushu okuru nazo no kage  
_「 _Koyoi wa yoi butai deshita..._ 」 _  
Tegami o hirotte nai te ita_ "

Miku smiled, removing her headphones. The vocals had been perfected, and proper instrumentation successfully applied to Bad ∞ End ∞ Night; all that remained was to put together a video for the song. After a moment, she drew out her phone, sending a mass text to the other members of Glory Music, as well as Gakupo and Gumi; _Any suggestions for the music video for BEN?_

She paused before the message went out and glared at the last word; after a moment, she backspaced and typed it out properly before hitting 'send'.

With a sigh, the vocalist leaned back in her chair. Abandoning her songwriter's block to work on something else had seemed like a good idea at the time - but when that something else was reviewing a different song for any of various reasons, it was counterproductive. Now she had Bad ∞ End ∞ Night stuck in her head, and the most removed thought she could linger on was whether or not it would work with their concert setup.

A thought rose in her mind. The concert venue in Silent Beat was designed to facilitate theater plays as well as musical performances. Glory Music had been making use of the curtains for a good entrance for years. Now, however, they had a song that actually told a story rather than merely being on a particular subject. If they were to-

Her phone going off interrupted her train of thought; she quickly turned back to her computer and typed out _Bad End Night = theater?_ in her file search bar so she wouldn't forget it. Her phone buzzed again before she could pick it up, and she realized that _everyone_ had suggestions.

Kaito: _Old-fashioned nobles mean fancy clothes; we might need to hit up Charioteer again._ It was hardly necessary for the music video, but Kaito seemed to have read her mind through the cell network.

Luka: _Maybe a blend of hand-drawn arts for us and CGI elements for the setpieces?_ Miku was gonna need to find a good artist for something like that; her own artistic skills were nothing to be ashamed of, but needing to implement an artwork against something else required a much finer hand.

Gakupo: _An manor isn't something you want to make up without firsthand experience; I can probably find a reference for you._ Definitely a good idea.

Meiko: _Have a closeup on a full wineglass hitting the ground and fragmenting._ If Miku didn't know her poison of choice was sake, she'd ask who was texting her and how they'd gotten Meiko's phone.

Rin: _If we're '_ _doll twins', we should look kind of 'constructed', don't you think? Maybe give us arms and legs that look like prosthetics or something._ The name had been in the script for the song, but it hadn't really been brought up in-

Against was Miku's train of thought derailed, this time of her own volition. "Prosthetics...?" She turned towards her writing desk, her mind turning. "What if I...?"

Another buzz from her phone revealed Gumi had been the last one to reply. _I've got a photo in a maid costume if you want 0///0_

"What."

* * *

A ringing from her pocket got Shiie's attention as she lingered at the Flower Fight memorial; she drew out the device and found Ruby calling her. The Harrier had been her confidant since their meeting in Gold Transistor, offering the punished Player advice and accepting questions about how to handle herself in the Underground.

Shiie hit Answer and raised the phone to her ear. "Hey," she greeted.

 _"Hi,"_ Ruby returned. _"Songman tell you the schedule yet?"_

"Schedule for what?" Shiie asked.

 _"That's a no,"_ Ruby observed. _"We've got enough Players; the Game starts tomorrow."_

Shiie sighed. "I guess he was going to let me know that morning," she mused.

 _"Yeah, well, that'd be real_ _cheap,"_ Ruby muttered. _"Ann's trying to throw off the Players with time differentials. The Game starts at five to one."_

"In the morning?!"

Ruby chuckled. _"You're not the only one who's not happy about that,"_ she admitted. _"Most of the Harriers are thinking of just not bothering for Day 1, and Support's pissed that she's doing the pact-mandatory thing to get to 39. Oliver said he was thinking of just putting up the wall in advance and hiding the keypin nearby."_

Shiie narrowed her gaze. "Is he allowed to do that?"

 _"Maybe if he tells everyone which level keypin he's using so everyone knows not to use it for the rest of the Game,"_ Ruby snarked. _"Anyways, wanted to let you know. Call it a night early, or plan to be up until the first mission's over. Any last-minute advice you want?"_

"Um... yeah," Shiie asked. "Although I'm not sure you'll be able to tell me much."

 _"Go for it anyways,"_ Ruby insisted. _"Maybe I'll surprise you."_

Shiie took a deep breath. "I'm... still not comfortable around Noise, yet," she admitted. "No pact means I can't fight them. Is that because I'm not a Reaper yet, or is there something I'm missing?"

Ruby sighed into the line. _"Well, it's a little bit of both,"_ she admitted. _"When you join the Reapers properly, you get a revolver and a set of bullets. The wings come with the power to make one bullet last forever, and the selection has a bunch of added effects. But... beyond that, no one can fight in the UG on their own - not Players, and not Reapers."_

"Then how does the Game Master get to fight Players?" Shiie asked.

 _"Game Masters are permit to brand their bodies with Noise frequency,"_ Ruby replied. _"But the rest of us aren't powerless without the guns, either. We can make pacts with our own shadows, which lets us fight by ourselves. I don't know if you'll be able to do that; you're not a Reaper, proper, but you're not quite a Player, either. The only way to know is to try."_

"Alright," Shiie mused. "Thanks."

Ruby hung up on the other end, and Shiie lowered her phone, setting it back in her pocket. After a moment, she got to her feet - she was getting better on her prosthetics, and her steps were somewhat less shaky than they had been during her time as a Player as she stepped forward until her shadow was cast against the ground behind her; then she turned around and knelt down.

With a deep breath, she reached her left hand towards her silhouette.

As her hand made contact with that of her shadow, a blue light appeared around her - the same light as had appeared when she made her pact with Viialless.

* * *

Not trusting herself to wake up at midnight, Shiie elected to stay awake; she was safely in the plaza surrounding the 39 Building before Support had set up their walls. She'd taken to carrying a purse with her pins from the Conductor while she was walking around the UG; now she removed her Player Pin, remembering Mew telling her that Reapers were not permit to wear them during the Game.

She set it into the box and drew out two of the Noise pins - one with a shark's dorsal fin surrounded by an arc, and one of a massive horn emerging from the head of a rhino. Setting the box back into her purse, Shiie was about to equip the pins on her shirt when a thought occurred to her; she glanced at her prosthetic arm, remembering how her Player Pin had stuck to her leg on the first day.

After a moment, she moved the pins to her upper arm; the clips pierced the skin-like plastic coating, securing themselves in place.

 _I think Viialless and I were the only ones to make it here on the first day,_ she observed. _But there was still enough time for Ruby to consider setting Noise on us. I should at least be able to erase one, if I can get them when they're not expecting it. And if I erase one, their partner is sure to go with them._

She held out her right hand before her with the palm facing down, brought her thumb in, and closed her fingers into a fist at once. This was the most simplistic motion that Asano had tested at the robotics lab, regularly scoring as high as a 99.5% match even in the earliest stages of testing. With a ripple of movement, a crimson Noise sigil appeared upon the pavement before her - an open jaw wide enough to stand in - and she knew that if she commanded it to approach a Player, they would be forced to Noise frequency - where the Noise would be able to eat them whole, if they were unable to react in time.

As the Noise drifted off, Shiie repeated the motion a few more times, summoning four more shark Noise - one for each street that Support was to come in through. The rhino Noise, she would save for later - in case any Players managed to avoid the initial threat. Once they were out, Shiie drew out her phone, checking the time - the display changed to 1:01 the instant after the screen illuminated, telling her the Game was already on. Pocketing the device, she started to circle the 39 Building, keeping her eyes out for anyone charging into the plaza in a hurry.

Soon enough, someone did come from the direction of I_O Walk; a girl in a form-concealing hoodie, and a boy who looked very... fashion-forward. As they stumbled to a stop, Shiie beckoned her hand forward; and one of her shark Noise moved across the pavement, approaching the boy as he turned towards his partner and raised his hand to show his palm.

The sigil came to a halt beneath him.

And three rows of teeth rose out before he or his partner could react, closing upon him as the Noise lunged out of the street and consumed him.

The girl screamed, panicking as the Noise sank beneath the waves again, leaving only its dorsal fin extending. Shiie watched as she tried to run towards 39, as though believing it was safe; but the shark swam after her, its fin like a blade. It slashed across her leg, and the girl tumbled to the pavement as the Noise sank again, and ripples appeared beneath her.

Those teeth emerged around her, as they had around her partner - and she, too, was erased in a single bite.

Shiie's smile fell as she realized the girl had gotten close enough that _she_ was now in the vicinity of its aggression; it sunk beneath the pavement, and its dorsal fin appeared again, swimming towards her. The Noise she had summoned so far had only manifested as sigils; now she realized that, because she was not a Reaper true, the Noise saw her as fair game. With a curse, she raised her left hand towards it as it started to approach.

Light welled in her palm; before the Noise could dive again, a ray of light surged from her hand, blasting through it and erasing it in a single shot.

Surprised, Shiie glanced at her hand. She had not expected that to work; after a moment, she lowered her hand to the _Photon_ pin still clipped to her chest.

_Viialless..._

**Forced Aggressor  
** **Chapter Closed**


	12. Punishment: Day 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Don't really have the patience to do a week of pseudo-Reaperhood straight, but I'm gonna try and get at least seven Punishment chapters so you guys don't feel too cheated. Thus, I'm going to proclaim right now, the 'Day: x' label is going to indicate days that Shiie is on duty, not days overall.

"So, is there a reason _I_ haven't been your interviewee?"

The voice from over Miku's shoulder as she entered into Garden of God clothing shop had a smirk rising on her face; she turned to find Yowane Haku standing there, looking inquisitive. "What," she snarked, "did I hurt your feelings?"

A smile rose on Haku's face. "Sorry, were you in the middle of something?"

"Nothing that I can't take my time with," Miku assured her.

Haku followed her in. "Given how much you wanted to know," she observed, "I don't see why you didn't come straight to me."

"Well, for one thing," Miku admitted, "I only realized you knew anything that Gakupo didn't because Neru told me how _she_ knew it. By then, I was already face-to-face with her, so why waste your time?"

"I guess that's fair," Haku conceded.

Miku nodded. "And for another, I didn't know if you were in the middle of anything. Given what you've said about what happens when you're gone..."

"There hasn't really been anything going on, you know," Haku insisted. "Otherwise no one else have been available, either."

"I realize that," Miku mused, "but why take the risk after what happened with Yuzuki?"

"True."

Miku seized what looked like a traveler's cloak in red, looking over it curiously before turning to Haku. "What do you think, too Riding Hood?"

"Maybe pick a duller colour," Haku mused. "This about your collab with Gumi and Gakupo?"

"Mhm," Miku admitted. "Little girl lost in the woods, finds a manor house and gets treated as a guest."

Haku hummed. "What about a little casual dress, then?" she suggested. "Pick something that's not too restrictive, but still looks nice. Give it a 'lucky coincidence' sort of look."

"Not a bad idea," Miku praised.

They made their way to the dresses; as Miku picked her way through them, she spoke up again - quieter this time. "So, can I ask you a strange question that you might not be allowed to answer?"

"If you're aware of that, then sure," Haku agreed.

"Is there a reason that Taboo Noise are... taboo?" Miku asked. "I mean, the fact that _Gumi_ didn't condone them implied that there's a little more to them than just 'dangerous'."

Haku sighed. " _Just dangerous_ is an understatement," she pointed out. "You remember our Game, how they attacked us without being provoked? Taboo Noise are aggressive, and attack indiscriminately. Player, Reaper, anything in the UG is a target." She shook her head. "Technically, they _can_ be controlled like other Noise, but in order to do that, a Reaper has to... do things to themselves that aren't healthy to your Soul."

Miku's gaze fell. "Calne Ca..."

"Her Cantus form was Taboo," Haku confirmed. "At least by the time we fought her. I saw her clearly when she fought Yuzuki." She shook her head. "That's what happens when you've made Taboo Noise bow to you. It distorts your Soul and warps your Imagination. And _that's_ the only way to stop them from attacking you. Taboo Noise are a plague on any Game they're set upon - a contaminant that stains the Underground for years. You saw what fighting Taboo did to Ryuto."

"Plague...?" Miku's gaze shot up. "Wait..."

A confused Haku angled her head. "What is it?"

Miku was about to respond when something caught her eye. "Oh, is that-!" She stepped forward quickly, seizing something off the rack - a two-tier dress in red and white, with an obi tied around the middle. "This looks perfect!"

She held it before herself as she turned to Haku, who smiled. "It does," she admitted. "Although... maybe you _should_ have a hood. Something to make it look like you were travelling."

"Darkness and Starlight has some nice hooded shawls," Miku mused.

"That'll do it."

Haku followed Miku on her way to the dressing room; the vocalist had stepped inside and brought the door closed before she thought to ask. "So, I don't suppose you know any good artists?" she asked. "Like, making art, I mean?"

"Um..." Haku turned a bright red. "I might. Why do you ask?"

"Luka gave me an idea for the music video..."

* * *

"Attacking Players out the gate of every day? Devious."

Shiie scoffed at Ruby's comment; the last mission before the Game Master's last stand was approaching completion, and she had been found sitting in Fire Child Sports Park. "Am I the first person to think of that?"

The senior Reaper shook her head. "You're the first person who's been _allowed_ ," she mused. "Harriers proper get told off by the GM if they try and ambush the Players before the mission comes in. Working on Songman's orders without the GM knowing about you means you have an excuse."

"Not like it's done me much good," Shiie admitted. "I've only erased four Players in six days, and that's including the shark ambush on Day 1."

"Sometimes Harriers are lucky to erase _anyone_ ," Ruby argued. "Considering your handicap, you're doing pretty-"

"You!"

The two Reapers turned to find a pair of figures with Player Pins standing there; a boy in a red suit and a girl in a blue dress. Shiie had no idea how they had managed to last this long as Players in ensembles like that; the dress was long enough that she could barely see the girl's footwear, and the suit looked tight enough to be restricting in a hurry. The boy was glaring at Ruby; the Harrier paused for a moment before asking, "Am I supposed to know you?"

"You're the one who was waiting in Swordsman's Square after the last mission!" he yelled. "I saw you erase her brother!"

Ruby glanced at the girl, studying her features, before shaking her head. "I'm gonna have to take your word on that," she conceded. "I don't see the resemblance."

The girl gasped, angry. "You-!"

"But yeah," Ruby confirmed, "I did erase a couple Players in Swordsman's Square. What about it? That what I'm _supposed_ to do." She beckoned to herself. "I'm a Harrier - if I don't erase Players, I **get** erased. So if your brother is gone, that's because he couldn't handle the Noise I was allowed to pit against him."

She turned to Shiie, tapping the shoulder of her prosthetic where she was wearing a pin with two crossed swords. "You want 'em?"

Shiie nodded, raising her right hand; then she slowly rotated it clockwise until her palm was vertical, curling her fingers into a fist one-by-one - thumb, pinky, ring, middle, index - in a motion that had never scored higher than an 88.2% match at Asano's lab. A Noise sigil appeared behind the couple, drawing their attention as they were forced to Noise frequency; from it emerged a draconic Noise in red and blue, and as its feet slammed down it _roared_ at the two Players standing there.

It lunged its head forward and opened its mouth, and both Players leapt aside as orbs of crimson surged from its maw. "A dragon?" the boy muttered.

The girl glanced at Shiie and then at the Noise again; then she turned around, dashing towards the evoker faster than they thought anyone could move in a dress. Shiie had no time to react before the girl was up in her face, and she swung a fist into Shiie's jaw, leaving her reeling and throwing her off-balance enough to fall.

Ruby caught her before she could hit the ground, and while Shiie was still seeing stars, the senior Reaper grinned at the girl. "Oh, _fun_. Now we can claim self-defense."

She shifted to supporting Shiie on her left arm so her right hand could seize her holstered revolver; she spun the barrel three slots and raised it towards the Noise, and when she fired, the creature vanished on the impact.

"You wanna do this yourself?"

Shiie managed to right herself on her prosthetics, glaring at the girl; she raised her left hand, and light began to gather in her palm. The girl had no chance to react before the ray fired, surging forward and slamming into her; she was knocked off her feet and falling as she was erased, her body fading out in the air. The boy yelled in terror as Shiie lowered her hand, and her massive blade appeared in her grip; he started to charge forward, and Shiie waited until he was near enough to try and strike her before stepping forward and bringing her blade into a wide forward arc.

The blade slammed into his shoulder and continued through him as he vanished into erasure.

Her weapon vanished at the end of her swing, and Shiie reached for her face, the pain only registering now. As she turned to Ruby, she found the senior Reaper staring at the place where the Players had just been, and after a moment she turned to face Shiie. "Holy shit."

"Uff..."

"Oh, dammit, that looks like a dislocation..." Ruby stepped forward, setting her hand under Shiie's chin. "This isn't gonna feel nice, but..."

Shiie cried out through her teeth as her jaw was forced back into place; then a rush of power ripped through her, and when Ruby released her, she found it was holding its position again. "It hurts...!"

"Sorry," Ruby pleaded, "but better that than have it come loose completely. Once you're a Reaper proper, you can patch something minor like a dislocation all your own - at least if you're not getting beat on hard enough to get erased."

"Who said I wanted to be a Reaper proper?" Shiie demanded.

Ruby opened her mouth, and then trailed off. "I guess... I just kind of assumed..."

"This isn't an audition," Shiie insisted, "it's a sentence. I'm only doing this to get my Game fee back. Once I do... the Conductor said he'd treat me like a normal Game survivor. And that means I can choose to play again, or to just get erased without taking anyone with me."

Quiet for a long moment; Ruby quickly elected to change the subject. "Those were some pretty beefy psychs," she praised. "Now I kinda regret not giving you a fight on your first day. Would've been sweet to see hits like that from someone lucky enough to have two."

"I didn't... have two," Shiie corrected, reaching for her combat pins. "I just had the blade. The beam was my partner's."

Ruby blinked. "You... picked up your partner's pin and it _worked_ for you?"

Shiie nodded. "I didn't realize it until this Game started," she admitted. "I just wore it out of sentiment. She was erased by the Fallen Angel that brought in the illegal Players. After Black Rock Shooter defended me, I just-"

" _Black Rock Shooter!?_ " Ruby's outburst cut her off; she raised her gaze to find the senior Reaper looking at her in wonderment. "You... saw the Producer?"

"Y-Yeah," Shiie confirmed. "You say that like it's abnormal or-"

"Abnormal, no shit!" Ruby exclaimed. "The Producer is a frickin' _Angel_ , babe! She stands above the Composer - and **we** don't even get to see _Cyber Diva!_ You saw the Black Rock Shooter **in person?!** "

Shiie shook her head. "I saw her because Sing Love tried to erase me," she insisted. "And she wasn't there fast enough to save my partner."

Ruby realized how rude she was being and stepped back. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. That was insensitive. It's just... Black Rock Shooter is barely any more than a myth. No one would identify her if they just saw her walking by. You could get a portrait done and probably turn no heads. Like, how would you describe her?"

"She was... pale," Shiie recalled. "Dressed in black - shorts and a jacket. Had a couple guns of some sort. Her hair was black and in two different tails..."

She trailed off, and Ruby nodded. "Yeah, see, _that_ doesn't sound like anyone special. If you hadn't told me you met Black Rock Shooter thinking it wasn't anything impressive, I wouldn't think _that_ description belonged to the Producer." Her gaze lifted, as though she'd noticed something that Shiie couldn't. "Player's are out. The mission's done. Ann's probably gonna go on a Player Hunt tomorrow, maybe don't stick around in the open if no one else knows about your sentence."

The senior Reaper offered a smile and took off, leaving Shiie standing in the sports park. After a long moment, she closed her eyes, letting her head fall back.

"Black Rock Shooter... Where did you go?"

**Feelings of Abandonment  
** **Chapter Closed**


	13. Punishment: Day 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Watched Draco squee like a fangirl because Bentley Jones answered his challenge, laugh himself into a coughing fit because of what that challenge entailed, and then make himself a bowl of soup to help his passages... before the video was done. Now Bentley has returned the challenge, and he's not sure what the hell he's gonna do.

"So when are you gonna tell Miku that _you're_ the artist you know?"

Haku turned red when that utterance followed the opening of the door to the Dead God's Pad. "Shut up, Neru," she insisted without looking.

She was kneeling in front of the coffee table in the center of the room; Neru stepped around, finding she was already hunched over an artwork-in-progress. Her phone was sitting in front of her, with an image of Miku upon its surface; the vocalist was dressed in a white-and-red two-tier dress, with a red shawl draped over her shoulders. "Why do you think being an artist is something to be ashamed of?" she asked.

"Did you need something," Haku demanded, "or did you just come here to tease me?"

Neru sighed. "We've got another Player for the next Game," she explained. "I need your judgement on her entry fee."

"Right, sorry..."

Haku got to her feet, and her eyes glossed over with white; the Dead God's Pad vanished in a rush of dark blue, leaving her and Neru standing in a void. A single bright light floated before them, and Haku regarded the lone Soul attentively.

"Kasane Teto, age 30. Formerly from... Utau City?" The surprise was clear on Haku's voice. "Moved ten years before the tsunami; parents killed in the cataclysm. No other family, small group of friends in Diola. Attempted to cope with the loss unaided; depression worsened with judgement consequently suffering. Cause of death: victim of vehicular accident... while pursued. Enjoys tormenting others behind a veil of anonymity, whether conversing online or hidden in a crowd. Friends enabling of her tendencies despite frequently falling victim. A dominant who's never outright asked for a submissive."

Neru shifted awkwardly before asking; "Do you think...?"

"Yes," Haku confirmed. "Take her capacity for pleasure."

The void vanished from around them, and Neru loosed a shaky breath as Haku's eyes returned to normal. "I'm never going to get used to you doing that."

"Strictly speaking," Haku pointed out, "you don't _have_ to be here when I'm judging entry fees."

"I _should_ , though," Neru insisted. "I know, with you being open about being Composer, you don't really _need_ me to serve Conductor duties, but I still think we should be giving the hierarchy at least token deference. If we end up with a Reaper who's got designs on your throne, we might be better off feigning your defeat than erasing them openly."

Haku smirked. "But you still prefer to act as enfor-"

"But I still prefer to act as enforcer, yeah," Neru conceded with a smile.

"That's _why_ I'm open about being Composer," Haku proclaimed. "You're still best at running around stopping the Harriers from disobeying the Game Masters; being Conductor just gives you more leverage for it."

She knelt back down to resume her artwork; after a moment, Neru spoke up again. "Do you really think Miku's gonna get mad if you tell her you're the one doing the artwork?"

"Come on, it's _Miku_ ," Haku insisted. "I just don't want her feeling like she owes me something."

"She's been interrogating _everyone_ about Calne Ca," Neru pointed out, "asking you for artwork is not gonna be a huge debt."

* * *

"Leave us alone!"

Shiie watched as the group of Players - two boys and a girl dressed for colder climates - charged her way down Aqua Street. They'd been accompanied by a third boy who had already been erased by the Noise in Rouge Square, who were rapidly pursuing them - three golden-furred wolves - and Shiie knew, even if she couldn't erase the others directly, she'd have at least two erasures for today.

Whoever the lost boy's partner had been, without a pact, the Noise attacked them freely even without Shiie's direction; the other two, it seemed, refused to leave their companion behind.

As they approached the intersection with Snowdust Street, Shiie brought her right hand up with her palm facing herself, curling her middle finger in but leaving the other four splayed open. A bright red rhino Noise appeared in the center of the street; on seeing the approaching players, it started to advance towards them. The group stumbled in shock, but the growling of the wolves behind them made them think better of stopping entirely; they boys charged to one side and the girl to the other, trying to give the rhino a wide berth, yet it made to obstruct the path of the two, rearing threateningly.

One boy managed to narrowly dive out of its reach as its feet came down; the other wasn't so lucky, and the downward motion of its horn seemed to cleave him in two.

"No!" The surviving boy was terrified at the sight - but the Noise were still on them. He swore under his breath, dashing after the girl and continuing towards Tengaku Square.

As the wolves dashed after them, Shiie saw the girl vanish.

"First erases of the week, and you get four in one shot." Ruby's voice has Shiie sighing. "Not bad at all."

"Trying some different tactics this week," Shiie admitted. "Guess I got lucky, finding a group of friends."

"Looks like it," Ruby agreed. "Still, some 'tactics'. Setting up ambushes for the Players en route to the goal and then cutting them off when they try to run? Dirty little tricks."

Shiie shook her head. "I take it this is another strategy that most Reapers aren't allowed to try?"

"Not like last week's strategy," Ruby insisted. "But Al's a bit of a goody-two-shoes, always trying to fight fair. _He_ , personally, would've shut down the idea of ambushing the Players and then ambushing them again."

With a hum, Shiie turned back to the street.

Ruby saw what she was looking for. "Mission's gonna be over in about two minutes," she replied. "Don't waste your time with more Noise. You wanna hit up Gold Transistor?"

"...I'd rather not," Shiie insisted, her tone somber.

A sigh emerged from Ruby. "Did Songman give you a progress update?"

"Huh?" Shiie turned to her. "What? No. Is that a thing? You can just ask the Conductor for your score?"

"Reapers have a pretty good gauge of their score for themselves," Ruby admitted, "and the precise numbers aren't usually important unless you're gunning for an officer position. What's got you down, then?"

"I just..." Shiie's gaze fell. "...There's been something on my mind. Something personal that I don't think I'll get answers for before this is over."

Ruby nodded. "That's fair," she conceded. Then, stepping past her; "Mind if I share what's on _my_ mind, though?"

Shiie turned to her. "Sure?"

"Before today's mission started," Ruby mused, "I saw a bunch of colourful characters show up here in DIVA."

"Colourful?"

"It's hard to describe 'em," the senior Reaper insisted. "Seven of the most ragtag punks you'd ever seen. They were all different shapes and sizes, and armed a lot better than anyone had business being in DIVA. And they all had these weird tattoos - no patterns or designs or anything, just sets of four letters. Only one I could make out was on some muscleman - I think it said Saha, it was-"

" _Zaha?!_ "

Shiie's exclamation caught Ruby by surprise. "Huh? No, S-A-"

"I know," Shiie insisted. "I've seen him. He said his name is Zaha." Her gaze fell. "What is he doing here?"

Ruby narrowed his gaze. "They mentioned something about business in the Garden of the White Knight. Think they'll still be there?"

"...Come with me?"

"Yeah."

* * *

Shiie's fears were confirmed when they reached the intersection of Amaretto and I_O Walk. Seven people she knew, and remembered with dread, were standing there - the six who had attacked her outside her home, and Zaha. They seemed to be going in the direction of Ashes Square; Shiie and Ruby followed in the Underground, unseen but attentive.

"You know these guys?" Ruby asked.

"Zaha was the one who killed me," Shiie proclaimed. "The others did this." She reached for the mount of her right arm with her left hand; time had done the wounds some good, but the burn scarring was still unmistakeable. "They shot me with weapons heavy enough to break my bones, and then attacked the wounds with blades so they were irreparable. One of them poured whiskey on my arm and dropped a match in it."

Ruby looked at her, shocked. "What are people like **this** doing in DIVA?"

"I don't know."

The group was walking slowly enough for their pursuers to get the rest of their names. The brute in the stiff hood was Karli (although his tattoo, located on his collarbone, read CKRY); the woman with the crownlike hair clips was Shizu (SZZU, going by her upper arm tattoo); the redhead in the asymmetrical longcoat was Mazuma (with MZMA inked on his ribcage); the purple in the frilly leggings was Mii (Ruby didn't see how the MEFE on her navel could sound like that); and the white-hair in black was Lilio (LLWO was stamped just below his knee). The younger-looking girl in the hoodie was addressed as Nafe; she didn't seem to have a tattoo, yet, and her body was soaking wet.

"There's a tattoo parlour in Ashes Square," Ruby observed. "Do you think they're going to get her inked?"

"She can't be old enough for that," Shiie mused. "And why is she wet?"

To their surprise - and concern - the group _did_ in fact enter the tattoo parlour when they got to Ashes Square. There was no modulator decal, leaving the two of them unseen as they slipped in the door behind them; there were no other customers inside, and Zaha approached the cashier and handed him a wad of bills.

The cashier nodded and beckoned towards a back room; Mazuma gave Nafe a light push, and she timidly made to enter, Zaha following suit.

"He doesn't care that she's not of age?" Ruby muttered.

"Keep an eye on the rest," Shiie requested, "I'm gonna watch this."

She entered the back room; Nafe had removed her hoodie and was currently drying herself with a large towel as Zaha spoke to the tattooist. "Bit younger than the rest of you, isn't she?"

"She joined up with us all the same," Zaha proclaimed. "Owed us a debt, and this was the easiest way for her to pay it off."

 _A debt?_ Shiie realized, turning to Nafe as she laid down on the table, face-down. _What did she do to owe guys like this?_

"Even with her, seems like there's less of you than there were the last time you brought someone in," the tattooist mused. "Weren't there fourteen of you last time?"

"Last time was three years ago," Zaha admitted. "We've lost the other eight in action."

"And this is the first one you've gotten to replace them?" the tattooist mused. "Hope you find more soon."

Zaha scoffed. "Because I pay you well for an easy job."

"You can just take the well-wishes," the tattooist retorted. "But also, yeah."

Shiie didn't want to see any more of this; she stepped out of the back room, finding Ruby still watching the others. The senior Reaper didn't have time to speak to her before she stormed out of the parlour, stepping out into Ashes Square with heavy breath.

"Hey." Ruby set her hand on the girl's shoulder. "What happened?"

"She's not with them voluntarily," Shiie proclaimed. "They're coercing her to work with them." She shook her head. "They killed me for seeing their handiwork, and they're forcing her because she 'owes' them, somehow."

Ruby couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Huh? But then..." She glanced back towards the parlour. "Why would they do something like that?"

"Because why not," Shiie growled.

"What?!"

Shiie turned around. "That's what Zaha said to me, when he killed me. I couldn't move fast enough to even _try_ to run when he came after me, because the rest of them hadn't finished me off. He struck my friends aside, and shot me dead. And when I asked him why, he said _why not?_ "

Her hands closed into fists.

"They're running around Diola, causing trouble for people, killing people, _forcing_ people to join them... because they **can**."

**Loveless Hearts  
** **Chapter Closed**


	14. Punishment: Day 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Hmm... level -only- affects your HP and drop rate in TWEWY. Everything else is from food boosts. So if I go through the whole game and don't eat -anything- at all, then if I reduce my level to 1 after reaching Another Day, I should have the same stats as I did at the start of the game.

"Trying to do it as a theater performance seems like a pretty big jump, don't you think?"

Miku nodded at Kaito's comment; the two of them had run into each other in 39 and had decided to grab coffee over a few ideas for Bad ∞ End ∞ Night. "I agree completely, it's not something we want to dive straight into all reckless-like. But the song tells such a story that it wouldn't really feel right just playing it at concert."

"You might have a point," Kaito conceded. "Might want to keep this one out of the rotation. But still, full-out theater play? That's gonna need a lot more than a couple stagehands to man the curtains and lift you on strings."

"What part of _never again_ do you guys not understand?" Miku demanded.

"You made a big impression with that one," Kaito observed.

Miku shook her head. "If Len can refuse to wear spandex, I can refuse to wire-dance."

"Fair enough."

After a moment of sipping at their drinks, Kaito changed the subject. "So, how's your solo project coming along?"

"Doing well," Miku admitted. "I'm just about at the point where I can try and put music to my lyrics, now. I just..." She furrowed her brow. "I feel like there's one thing I'm missing, and I can't figure it out."

"I still don't understand how you made a song out of learning about Calne Ca," Kaito muttered.

Miku sighed in exasperation. "I guess hearing about the experiences second-hand doesn't really give you the full picture," she observed. "You guys never did see her, or Machine Muzik. You never even heard her talk."

She curled both hands around her cup. _And even **I** never saw what she went through..._

* * *

Shiie's two-ended ambush tactics only scored her another two erasures over the next three days; the first to approach the mission objective on Day 6 - and thus the ones who triggered the first Noise ambush - were capable enough to fight it off. She had started towards the other end to see if any unlucky Players had stumbled upon her Noise there when she saw a familiar figure stepping towards 39... looking terrified.

"Is that... Nafe?"

The punished Player followed her into the plaza; Nafe was glancing over her shoulder every few seconds, like she was scared of someone following her. Her hoodie seemed to have been trimmed, becoming shorter towards the back to reveal the tattoo at the base of her spine - _XNFE_ in pink. She entered 39 before anyone could stop her; knowing the structure (although not the roof) was regulated by a modulator decal, Shiie waited a few moments before stepping in after her, to keep distance between them.

Nafe approached a stairwell next to the elevators, which was marked for emergencies only... but propped open slightly, with no alarm going off in retaliation. Confused when she slipped in, Shiie stepped up to the gap, peering inside; Nafe looked around uncertainly before making to look beneath the stairs - and her hands went off, barely stopping her shriek of pain from behind heard outside.

Zaha was sitting there - with a knife in his stomach.

"What...?"

"About time you got here," Zaha muttered, his voice weary.

Nafe shook her head. "Why did you call me here... if you're like this?"

Zaha scoffed. "Because you seemed like you'd get away with wandering in here. This..." He beckoned to his chest. "...is gonna leave me with permanent damage. It can't be fixed completely. And if whoever finds me knows who we are, they're not gonna _try_ and fix **me** up." He reached into his pocket, drawing something out. "Here..."

It looked like a memory stick of some kind; he tossed it at Nafe, who caught it by reflex. "What...?"

"There's a video file on there," Zaha proclaimed. "Gather the others and make sure everyone watches it. I don't want you all messing up when I'm not around to pick up your slack."

Nafe shook her head. "I need to get you some help," she insisted. "If there's a chance-!"

Shiie quickly moved out of view as she turned, dashing out of the stairwell. Her strides knocked aside what was propping the door open; Shiie quickly slipped in and grabbed the first pin her hand could find in her pocket, using it to trap the latch. Zaha had closed his eyes, but his heavy breathing told her that the criminal wasn't dead yet; the blade still sitting in his chest was reducing the blood flow of the wound.

From his position, anyone standing upright was obscured by the stairs above him; Shiie stood out of the way as her hand lunged forward, seized the blade, and twisted.

A yell of pain told her that he had yet to pass out; he started to reach for her arm before she brought the blade in an upward cut, slashing up his chest. His grip closed around her wrist as his other hand reached for his hakama, lifting it to the wound in an effort to suppress the blood flow; Shiie managed to wrench her hand free, changing the angle of the blade in the process before she pried it out completely.

She let the blade fall, and Zaha had reached for the weapon as she started up the stairs; her prosthetic legs gave her a bit of trouble trying to ascend, but it was nothing having her hand on the railing couldn't remedy. The door of the second-floor landing wasn't open, but opening it didn't set off any alarms; deciding to make herself scarce in the Realground, she called central elevator, and once it arrived, she hit the button for the roof.

Her phone went off on the way up with a call from Ruby; Shiie waited until she was outside before answering. "What is it?"

 _"So,"_ Ruby insisted, _"I've got good news and bad news."_

"Is it urgent?" Shiie asked. "I've got neutral news of my own."

Ruby gave a murmur of confusion before answering. _"Let's advance from worst to best. Songman just put out an announcement like ten minutes ago, I didn't think to call you until I realized you're not a proper Reaper yet. We're running consecutive Games."_

Shiie's gaze narrowed. "Consecutive... meaning what?"

 _"Meaning Day 1 starts when Day 7 ends,"_ Ruby explained. _"Al gets to attack Players tomorrow; the next day, the new batch of Players wakes up."_

"No break?" Shiie protested.

Ruby snickered. _"Guess that's what happens when a bus crashes._ _What's your neutral news?"_

"I'm on top of 39," Shiie replied. "I found Zaha in the stairs for power outages."

 _"Oh, shit,"_ Ruby muttered. _"Are you-"_

"He was bleeding out of his chest," Shiie finished.

There was silence for a moment on Ruby's end. _"Woah... Guess he picked on the wrong punk this time."_

Shiie glanced at the elevator. "I wouldn't jump to conclusions. There was a knife in his hand." As much as she might have been fudging her findings, his preparation and calling of Nafe seemed to indicate her implications were true nonetheless.

 _"Why the hell would **he** off himself?"_ Ruby wondered.

"I don't know," Shiie admitted. "But he's going to be a Player in the next Game. I..." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I want to be the one to erase him. Can you find a way to make sure the other Harriers leave him to me?"

Ruby giggled briefly. _"Well, that would be my good news,"_ she observed. _"Songman said I'm the Game Master for the next Game."_

"Really?"

 _"Apparently my officer request went through,"_ Ruby mused. _"I manage 100% erasure, and I get a promotion."_

Despite herself, Shiie smiled. "Good for you," she praised. "Should be easy enough, right? If they just got the bare minimum a day before?"

 _"I figure,"_ Ruby agreed. _"And being GM means I get to direct the Harriers and Support and decide where the Players start each day. You want Zaha? Go wild. Pit some white frogs on him, or drop a woolly on his head. And if he survives Day 1, I'll keep the Harriers away from him and his partner."_

"Thank you."

* * *

"Johnathan King. Moniker 'Zaha'. Age 75."

This time, when Cyber Songman had made to approach the Composer's room, the door had opened, allowing him access to a room whose structure seemed to be in constant motion. Even so, Cyber Diva hadn't shown herself; he spoke to the room at large, and had only the honor of hearing her voice instead.

"Notable qualities?"

The Conductor studied Zaha's Soul, floating above his hand. "Leads a gang he calls 'Apostles'. Fifteen recorded members, ranked by number and mandatorily tattooed with pseudonymic spellings of their names. Rank first is the lowest; he has maintained himself as the highest rank of the surviving members, adjusting his place as necessary when new members are inducted. At the time of his death, he was ranked seventh."

"Cause of death?"

Cyber Songman sighed. "Chiyuki Shiie found him in the 39 Building. He had inflicted himself with a wound intended to be non-fatal; she aggravated the damage to ensure its lethality."

"Chiyuki is the last one who was complicit with the illegal Players." Cyber Diva sounded almost amused.

"Reapers forcibly killing civilians to induct them as Players is an illegal action," Songman observed. "What is your verdict?"

The Composer giggled briefly. "Was King not her own killer? We can hardly fault her for retribution."

Songman turned towards where her voice seemed to be coming from. "But, Composer-!"

"Leave it." Diva's voice emerged from behind him now, constantly evading his gaze. "As for King, he values his reputation. You will take his connections. If any Players should encounter him, they will not recall his group."

"Very well," Songman insisted, turning to depart. "His reputation shall be his fee."

He had just reached the door before the Composer's voice spoke to his back, as though seated upon the throne opposite the door. "And Songman?"

"...Yes?" He resisted the urge to turn.

"Chiyuki is not to be punished if she chooses to attack Players directly."

Cyber Songman turned around, shocked. "But-!"

"She is not yet a Reaper." The throne was empty; now her voice emerged as though she stood between him and the door. "Players are permit to attack one another, if they feel they may benefit from it."

The Conductor lowered his gaze. "...I see."

He turned back around, and exited the Composer's chamber.

Cyber Diva had always done this, never showing herself to him except in the most dire of circumstances. For simple instructions - such as punishing illegal Players, even if they came about because of an Angel like Sing Love - she would send him messages, as Game Masters would to Players. The decision of Players' entry fees required more timely conversation, and so did she allow him to hear her; she would speak to him, but she would not face him. Many would think the Composer cruel, but Cyber Songman saw it as a boon; he would know that a situation required all the power the Reapers could bear the moment he saw Cyber Diva's visage.

On only three occasions had he seen Cyber Diva's visage - and he hoped he would never see it a fourth time.

**Death Grudge  
** **Chapter Closed**


	15. Punishment: Day 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> You know, on closer scrutiny, I think that if my UG Vocaloid stories were a TWEWY game, I would break up the streets of Diola. Like, for example, I_O Walk leaves Rouge Square, crosses Amaretto, passes the plaza around 39, crosses Parallel Circuit, and arrives at Ashes Square. So maybe have that separated into screens of "I_O Walk (Rouge)", "I_O Walk/Amaretto", "I_O Walk (39)", "I_O Walk/Parallel Circuit", and "I_O Walk (Ashes)".

"You drew these yourself? Where were you when I was doing the music video for World's End Dancehall?"

Haku sounded embarrassed on the other end of the line. _"Not knowing you'd want help."_

Miku was admiring the artwork that Haku had put together - based off references from Gumi, Gakupo, and Glory Music in regards to what they wanted to look like for Bad ∞ End ∞ Night. Most of the participants had merely put together rough ensembles based on what they had (why Rin had a _black_ dress for formal occasions, Miku wasn't sure she wanted to know), with a few notes here and there where closet cosplay hadn't been quite sufficient, while Gumi, Gakupo, and Miku had found exactly what they were looking for; Haku had managed to put together excellent artwork with fine borders that Miku could easily use in a CGI environment, and sent them her way.

"This is so perfect," Miku praised, saving the files away. "Thank you so much."

 _"Don't worry about it,"_ Haku insisted. _"You did me a huge favour when we were dealing with Yuzuki."_

"What?" Miku glanced at her phone. "Haku, all I did was end up outside at exactly the wrong moment and not implicate the rest of us. I told you that you didn't owe me anything for that."

 _"And you don't owe me anything for this,"_ Haku proclaimed. _"I enjoyed helping you put these together."_

Miku giggled. "I guess we're even, then."

 _"I guess we are,"_ Haku returned. _"How's the other one coming?"_

"Well..." Miku hummed. "Maybe I should send you the draft, let you see what I've got so far."

 _"As long as you're aware that making music is not my strong suit,"_ Haku insisted. _"I can offer you judgement, but I can't do much to help this phase."_

"I'm not going to ask you to," Miku assured her.

* * *

_Mission begins in ten minutes. Zaha should be in Silent Beat._

Ruby's message had Shiie quickly tapping out a response. _Thanks. I owe you one._

She could practically **hear** Ruby snarking at her when the next message arrived. _At least one guaranteed erasure? I'd say we're even._

Shiie smiled at her phone before pocketing it and making her way out of Ashes Square. As she stepped into Silent Beat Alleyway, she raised her prosthetic arm; several Noise pins were stuck upon her upper arm, and a black pin vaguely reminiscent of a Player Pin was on the back of her palm - a keypin. With a flash of light, a wall appeared there, and she quickly did the same to the concert venue entrance before advancing to the Cybernation Plaza end; once there, she manifested sigils holding several of the strongest Noise that Ruby had shown off to her yesterday. Then she waited, keeping herself in the shadows as the wait for the start of the mission counted down.

Sure enough, once ten minutes were up, Zaha seemed to appear in Silent Beat; he groaned quietly, slowly pushing himself to his feet. Shiie was surprised to find a line up the front of his torso where she had carved his dagger up; his Player Pin was attached to the waistband of his hakama, and he glanced around the alleyway with a huff. "What is going on?" he muttered. "Why should I have to be part of some punk Game? Like hell am I gonna make a 'pact' with some nobody." 

A ringing from his pocket told Shiie that Ruby was wasting no time; he drew out a phone and checked the message. "What? Just to that place?" He scoffed, pocketing the device again. "Made it easy, did they?"

He started to step out of the alley... and the Noise noticed a pactless Player. Zaha's pace faltered as the sigils approached, and from them emerged white frogs with red legs, landing before him to bar his way. With a huff, Zaha took a fighting stance; Shiie could barely believe that he was planning to fight them bare-handed. Sure enough, as he got close enough, one of the frogs leapt at him and landed upon his torso; it barely felt when he tried to strike it, and then it leapt off, hard enough to throw him to the ground. While Zaha was trying to right himself, another frog bloated briefly before releasing a spray of bubbles, one of them slammed into Zaha and knocked him back again.

"Dammit..." Zaha huffed. "What a waste..."

Shiie followed in the shadows as he started towards Ashes Square. He slammed into the wall head-on, reeling hard enough to stumble into a dumpster. He was swearing as he tried to right himself; the frogs were hopping after him, and he growled angrily, looking around the alley in fury.

 _You won't survive,_ Shiie reprimanded. _Running past Noise is easy enough for someone with two legs. But if you're too proud to make a pact with anyone you didn't indoctrinate, you'll never survive the week. Consider yourself-_

She was cut off when Zaha flung open the lid of the dumpster; his hand grabbed the locking bolt of the hinge between one door and the body, pulling it free, and once the lid came loose he hurled it at the frogs.

And the frogs _reeled_ from the impact.

"What?!"

Zaha grinned, charging forward; before the frogs could obstruct it, he picked the lid back up, seizing it by the ridge on its outer surface meant to open the dumpster with, and struck the nearest one again. On the third strike, the frog _vanished_ , erased, and he continued to swing at the remaining Noise, beating them aside with the lid until he was alone in the alleyway. With a scoff, he glanced at his weapon and turned back to the dumpster. "Guess I can't let it go to waste."

Shiie cursed under her breath as he made to free the next lid; she drew her pin case from her purse and found the one she was looking for, clipping it to her prosthetic arm before closing it. As soon as her right hand was free, she raised it towards Zaha and curled in her index and ring fingers, leaving her pinky, middle finger, and thumb pointing at him. A sigil appeared between her and Zaha, from which emerged a cream-coloured bipedal bear Noise with dark navy arms. Zaha heard it roar and quickly approached the dumpster, rapidly prying free the other door of the lid; he picked up the one he had already freed and charged forward, dragging them on the ground behind him as he approached the Noise.

The grizzly swung its arm forward, and its claws raked down one of Zaha's weapons, leaving nothing more than scratch lines. He promptly brought the other one forward in a wide swing, striking at the Noise and leaving it reeling while he made to swing the other one. Shiie could only watch, dumbfounded, as he battered the Noise with his improvised weapons; the grizzly had only thrown one more swing, ineffective against his guard, before it was erased by the blows, and Zaha proceeded to charge out into Cybernation with his defenses dragging behind him.

Shiie fumed for a moment before drawing out her phone, dialling Ruby. As soon as the call started to ring, she switched it to her prosthetic hand, freeing her good hand to pry out the pins she'd clipped to her arm and hand. It didn't take long for the Game Master to pick up; _"Hey, Shiie, is he out?"_

"No, he's not," Shiie muttered. "What's going on, Ruby? I thought you said the white frogs couldn't be hurt?"

 _"They... can't,"_ Ruby replied, confused. _"At least not by most Players. Reapers can shoot 'em up fine, but most psychs don't-"_

"Zaha just wiped out five of them and a grizzly with a pair of dumpster lids," Shiie proclaimed.

 _"What the hell?"_ Shock was clear on Ruby's voice. _"You mean he doesn't even have a pact yet?"_

Shiie shook her head. "Not even that. He doesn't even **want** to make a pact. Why the hell could he hurt them?"

Ruby swore into the line. _"Some psychs can be used to affect the environment in battle,"_ she observed. _"I thought that was the only way for Players to hurt them. Apparently it's the environment, not the psych. Having a weapon must let Zaha fight them like a frickin' Umbra Witch with a lamppost."_

"Like a what?"

 _"Never mind,"_ Ruby insisted. _"Look, I'm so sorry. I never thought he'd be stupid enough to fight without a pact. Do you have a plan for tomorrow?"_

Shiie sighed. "What could I even do?" she wondered. "Reapers can't attack Players directly, and I don't see how the Noise would stop him. If I'm gonna set up a wall between him and the target, I've gotta give him something to do, right? It's not like I can give him Noise to fight and stop him from-"

She trailed off, realization rising in her mind.

 _"Shiie?"_ Ruby asked. _"You still there?"_

"Put him in the Garden of the White Knight," Shiie told her. "I have an idea. I'm gonna set up walls and let him go through if he can take out the Noise I give him fast enough."

Ruby sounded dumbfounded as she asked, _"How fast is 'fast enough'?"_

"He's not privy to that information," Shiie proclaimed. "If he fails, he gets to try again - or he can just sit by the river."

 _"O...kay,"_ Ruby muttered. _"I don't think it's legal to make a wall only go down under conditions the Players can't accomplish."_

"I'm not giving a condition the Players can't accomplish," Shiie replied. "I'm giving a condition that _Zaha_ can't accomplish. He's the one who decided he doesn't want to make a pact - and that means the Noise attack first, and he can't use psychs, and that means he can't fight as well as two Players partnered together can. Which means not being able to finish the Game is _his_ fault."

Ruby sighed. _"Fair enough,"_ she conceded. _"Let's hope that flies with Cyber Songman."_

She hung up; Shiie switched her phone back to her left hand and pocketed it, turning her gaze skyward.

"Black Rock Shooter... Just you watch."

**Unwinnable  
** **Chapter Closed**


	16. Punishment: Day 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Ugh, the TWEWY wiki -still- doesn't have, like, anything useful on the Final Remix. Someone's hit the Unbranded page with a Remix pin list for mastered stats, but all the New Day-exclusive stuff has half-assed assessments.

"That's... a really menacing first line."

Miku had finished writing the lyrics for her solo project, and was now at the Kagamine household, discussing instrumentation with Rin and Len. The three of them were in the 'music room', as the twins called it - an almost-soundproofed room in the middle of the house where they kept their instruments in order to avoid getting in trouble from the neighbors - and Miku was sitting behind a synthesizer keyboard as they looked over her song.

At Len's comment, Miku sighed. "Do you think I should nix it?"

"I've heard worse," Rin admitted. "But... You sure you want to start with a slow beat?"

"I was thinking of having a low-key intro to start, and then getting more prominent as the verse proper started," Miku explained.

"What if we only take the low-key to that line, and then kick in the heavier stuff right after?" Len suggested. "Did you have an idea of what sort of intro you wanted?"

Miku hovered her hand over her keyboard. "Just a couple repetitions of something simple, like..." She tapped a black key four times, and then hit the white key to its immediate left. "Something like that, do it three or four times."

"Nice for an ominous lead-in," Len admitted. "But maybe not four of the _exact_ same. What if you try..." He played the five-note that Miku had, then moved up a couple notes and played the same repetition on the black key there.

"Not a bad idea," Miku admitted, "but how well does that hold up whole-handed?"

Rin smirked. "See, _this_ is why Gumi thought you were just a sweet voice. You make music videos, you light the stage. Now you write songs - but you still can't put accompaniment to anything."

She tapped at the input keypad, circled the keyboard while the instrument change registered, and splayed her fingers as Miku stepped aside. When she hit the keys, an ominous-sounding rumble emerged from the speaker, and she hit the same few keys the first four times before shifting for the fifth note - not quite descending her whole hand, but changing the pattern as well. Then she moved up, doing the same a couple notes up as she had suggested.

"That sounded good," Miku admitted.

"But maybe not back-and-forth," Len mused. "What about... 2-3-1-2?"

"Two-three-one-two?" Miku echoed. "Meaning what?"

"Meaning..." Rin played the system at the low, then the high; then she descended slightly lower than the initial and played it there before moving up to the original position and playing it there.

Miku smiled. "That'll do perfectly."

* * *

"Too slow. Again."

Shiie moved her right hand before her, keeping her palm horizontal before shifting her fingers so that each was pointed at a different angle up or down. A Noise sigil appeared further into Fire Child Sports Park, before Zaha, and he groaned, brandishing his weapons (seemed there was a dumpster in every corner of DIVA for him to pry the lids off of) as a pair of gold-and-black mink Noise emerged from the sigil.

As Zaha charged his opponents, Shiie glanced briefly at her hand. Every time she repeated a motion with her prosthetic hand, it seemed the prosthetic got closer to what she was trying to do. She quickly put the thought out of her mind and turned her attention back to Zaha's fight with the fox Noise, not wanting to be accused of not paying attention to how quickly he defeated his opponent. On Day 2, she had tried to pit him again a school of shark Noise, and on Day 3, against a stampede of rhino Noise.

She was hoping he would falter and get himself erased by the Noise, but he had proven too resilient for that. However, by having the Noise waiting for him when he woke up, she could gauge how long it took him to fight with his choice of a heavy, ineffective weapon, and determine how fast a pair of Players with psychs could do so. After she'd reported her failures, Ruby had suggested she try a single, stronger Noise for Day 4 (the symbiotic serpents Zaha was fighting now were in fact a single Noise) - and although he was taking these ones out, as well, they weren't going down as fast as a single member of the groups of Noise she'd pit him against before.

It took him a minimum of three minutes to take down one of the minks, having to fend off the attacks of the other as he did; Shiie reckoned a Player with a pact could do it in two.

As he brought his dumpster lids together on his targeted mink, it vanished into the air - the other, which had been about to strike him from behind, faded out as well as the pair of them were erased. Zaha panted, hunching over in the skate park before turning back to Shiie, standing at the bottom of the stairs leading out.

She shook her head. "Too slow."

"That's bullshit," Zaha snapped, starting towards her. "Every time I take them down, you tell me I'm too slow."

"You're slower every time," Shiie reprimanded. That much _was_ true; fatigue started to wear him down the longer he fought Noise, and she would wager that any other Player without a pact - and thus constantly pursued by Noise - would have tired out and been erased long before a mission ended. "Again."

She raised her prosthetic hand and shifted her fingers again, and another Noise sigil appeared between her and Zaha. He yelled in anger, charging at the Noise with yells of fury, and Shiie watched him fight. Although attacking one Mink should have left him open to the attacks of the other, he always managed to get his weapons between him and their attacks, never suffering any more than bruises from the impact of the blows. If they hit him enough, she reckoned he would be erased by the pain - but it wouldn't be enough before the mission was over.

Once the minks were down, he braced one dumpster lid against the ground, leaning on it and trying to catch his breath.

"Too slow," Shiie informed him. "Again."

"Oh, you bitch!"

Zaha charged towards her before she could summon the next pair of minks, leaving one lid to fall as he made to swing the other at her. Shiie stepped aside, letting the wild swing come down on the stairs behind as the blade of her _Genocide_ pin appeared in her grip; if she had time to brace it for long enough, she could have erased Zaha in one hit, but as it was she swung it immediately, choosing to throw him back rather than risk him striking her while she prepared. He flew back, landing roughly on his discarded weapon and leaving the other one tumbling across his legs, and Shiie took a heavy breath he started to rise.

"Reapers are prohibited from attack Players directly," she reprimanded, "except in self-defense. You could have tried to meet my conditions to clear the wall, but instead you chose to attack me - which means I have free reign to attack you back."

She raised her hand, and the light of her _Photon_ pin started to gather in her palm.

"And I can erase you in an _instant._ "

A clatter of something striking metal sounded in the moment before the beam flew forward; Shiie watched as it soared over Zaha's head, and he fell to the ground. For a moment, she thought he had been erased out of pure terror - but then she saw his hands open, palms visible enough for her to realize that he had no timer.

Shiie swore under her breath as he started to wave in his unconsciousness, invulnerable to the Noise between missions. "The other Players cleared the mission," she realized. "Dammit. The self-defense argument isn't gonna carry over to tomorrow."

She stormed up the stairway, hand on the railing to comp for her shaky legs. Once she was at the top, she pounded her hand with her keypin against the wall, causing it to vanish; then she pulled it and her Noise pin off her arm, putting them back into her pin case. Once the case was closed, she shoved it back into her purse and started up Amaretto - failing to notice the pale figure in the black dress watching her from Aqua Street.

Gold Transistor was open and running when she got there, her anger having cooled from the walk up; she stepped inside and was surprised to find a familiar face standing in the antechamber.

"Aika?"

The utterance escaped her before she could stop herself; Kurose Aika turned at the utterance of her name, and found herself looking at Shiie. "Um, hi," she responded with confusion. "Do I know you?"

"...No," Shiie insisted. "Sorry. I... saw you come by here during the fire from the DJ equipment. I heard someone call you by that name." She shook her head, stepping towards the counter and finding the bouncer absent. "Um, where did he...?"

"I came to fetch a friend," Aika insisted. "It's faster to ask that guy to find him than to look for him myself."

Asano stepped out as she was finishing up. "Oh, Aika," he greeted. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," Aika confirmed. "Yoruko's in the hospital for a concussion and scald wounds."

"Oh, no," Asano muttered. "I can't believe I forgot to warn her about the damaged pot!" He turned to the bouncer. "I'm so sorry, tell the boss-!"

"Don't worry about it," the bouncer insisted.

A smile rose on Asano's face before he and Aika took off. Briefly, Shiie considered following them out of concern; but she knew she couldn't leave DIVA while she was in the Underground, and she only sighed, turning to the bouncer and handing over her Player Pin.

A few minutes later, she was sitting at one of the tables with a drink in hand. The glass was half-empty before a voice spoke to her from nearby; "Shiie, wasn't it?"

Shiie raised her gaze, finding a familiar figure with uneven detached sleeves standing there. "Oh, hi," she greeted. "Kokone, right? Long time."

"You could say that," Kokone admitted, sitting down on the other side of the table. "Have you been busy?"

"...Kind of," Shiie admitted. "Also..." She leaned in, so she could lower her voice while still being heard over the music. "It's 'Ca' here, if you don't mind."

Kokone shook her head. "You came in with your Player Pin, didn't you?"

With a sigh, Shiie pulled back. "You saw?"

"Chika saw you on Amaretto," Kokone corrected.

"O-Oh." Shiie glanced at her drink. "And how much did she see?"

"She saw you with a keypin," Kokone replied. "And a box with a Game skull on it."

Shiie nodded. "I suppose Ruby hasn't told anyone else. And Cyber Songman wouldn't."

"The Conductor?" Kokone murmured. "Why would you...?"

"It's a long story," Shiie explained, "but until Ruby's done her stint as Game Master, I'm still in the Underground - and _trapped_ in the Underground." She shook her head. "But I'm lucky. It's given me an opportunity I wouldn't have gotten otherwise."

Kokone narrowed her gaze. "Something to do with the unpartnered Player?"

"You could say that."

**Unrelenting** **  
Chapter Closed**


	17. Punishment: Day 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Who the HELL is the Wikia admin who thought that being unable to view a file's page was a good idea? You can't view the file information like this. You can see the raw image, or you can view it in this stupid gallery viewer, but you can't see the file information. And if a file's not acknowledged to any pages, you can't even see it! I have seen a lot of stupid update ideas, but this single-handedly justifies Draco's fanatic adherence to independent wikis when available.
> 
> ...On a brighter but not unrelated note, I owe you guys a Megaflare from Reaping.

"Well, if nightmarish was what you were looking for, you nailed it."

Miku chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry," she mused. "Too much?"

Luka removed her headphones as the sound of Miku's latest song faded out. "If this is the audio," she admitted, "I dread what you've got in mind for the music video."

"Talk to Meiko," Miku admitted. "I gave her a scare when I answered the door in inspirational makeup."

"Speaking of," Luka mused, "how's Bad ∞ End ∞ Night coming along? She mentioned that you- Well, she said _Kaito said_ that you didn't want to do it for concerts."

Miku shook her head. "I don't, really," she confirmed. "I've got different plans for that one. But the video's coming along well. Here's what I've got so far..."

She closed her raw audio and switched to the video file; as it was starting up, Luka spoke. "You know, I feel like their starting this eight-player song was some attempt to dissuade you from your project," she mused.

"It's not fun trying to work on a song when there's another song stuck in your head," Miku confessed. "But the creepy atmosphere for this one definitely put me in the right mood."

"Is it just me," Luka asked, "or does it feel like... like _this_ story isn't finished?"

"How do you mean?" Miku inquired.

Luka shook her head. "I mean, it's called _bad end_ ," she observed. "If you hear something described as a bad end, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?"

"...That there's a good end," Miku admitted. "Or at least a _true_ end."

"Exac-" Luka cut herself off, turning to Miku. "Uh, what? What sort of stories do you read where the 'true end' isn't a _good_ end if the alternative is a 'bad end'?"

Miku shrugged. "Well, the true end is _better_ , most of the time, but not necessarily what I'd call 'good'."

"Like what?"

"Like the 'bad end' is that the hero dies to the villain, so the villain achieves his goal, and the 'true end' is that the hero dies _with_ the villain, so the villain doesn't achieve anything."

There was a notable look of displeasure on Luka's face. "I mean... I guess..."

* * *

"Day 7, and he's still endured everything, huh?"

Ruby and Shiie were riding up the elevator to Otherworld's Await; the sun had yet to rise on Ruby's seventh day as Game Master, and the two of them wanted to be in position when it did. "What all have you set on him?"

"Sharks, rhinos, minks, woollies, drakes..." Shiie counted on her fingers, and paused for a moment before raising one finger on her other hand. "And the white frogs on Day 1. They didn't do much when he found weapons. And the missions are over too fast for him to be too tired to win." Zaha had started in every non-plaza in DIVA - Silent Beat Alleyway, the Garden of the White Knight, Swordsman's Square, Fire Child Sports Park, the Flower Fight Memorial, and Pain Crave Bridge - and had found a weapon everywhere he went.

"Well, the seventh mission is always ten hours," Ruby admitted, "and I intend to run out the clock. That should be plenty long enough to tire him out."

Shiie's gaze fell. "I hope so."

"...Why don't you try a fox," Ruby suggested.

"A fox?" Shiie echoed. "Aren't they on the low-durability end of the spectrum?"

Ruby shook her head. "Low durability, but high versatility. They teleport, they shapeshift, they set up traps. And they get stronger the longer a fight wears on. White ones get up to nine tails - and rain down hell when they do."

Shiie raised her right hand before her, forming a shadow-puppet canine shape; her thumbtip caught in the foremost joint of her index finger, her middle finger forming an arc above that, and her ring and pinky fingers extended upwards above that. "That could work..."

A snicker from Ruby caught her attention. "Seriously?" she asked. "Have you been doing that for every Noise you-"

"Shut up," Shiie retorted, slapping the senior Reaper with her good hand - but there was a smile on her face. "My hand has trouble with complex motions. I'm just trying to get it to improve things, so I do hand signs when the day starts."

"Hand signs like shadow puppets?" Ruby retorted.

" _Ruby!_ "

The elevator arrived in the Otherworld's Await, and the two of them stepped out. "Where do you want him today?" the Game Master asked. "What's easy for you to wall off?"

Shiie contemplated for a moment before looking up towards the heart of DIVA. "...Put him on 39," she mused. "Can you put a wall over a door?"

"Yeah, I think so," Ruby confirmed.

* * *

Zaha woke up to the howling of the wind - air movement is unobstructed at high altitudes, and the 39 Building towered over the entire rest of the District. As he got to his feet, he found no sign of the Reaper who had been giving him trouble so far; it only took a moment before his phone went off, giving off the last day's assignment.

 _Mission: Defeat the Game Master.  
_ _She roams the five points of DIVA.  
You have 600 minutes.  
Fail, and face erasure.  
~The Reapers_

"Still trying to give us orders," Zaha muttered, starting towards the elevators. "At least this is the last day I have to put up with this sh- Ah!" To his surprise, there was a barrier over the elevator door; as he regained his balance, his face fell. "Dammit. Not again with..."

Something landing behind him drew his attention; there was a fox of some kind sitting there, with a tail of lines in gold and red. After a moment, it raised its head and howled, and three red flames appeared around it, of the same strange lines. With a growl, Zaha charged towards the bench; its back and seat were formed from several planks, separated by just enough space that he trusted himself to strike one, specifically; he sidestepped the flames and vaulted the seat while the fox lingered, kicking one plank free of the bench to serve as a weapon and then kicking it in two so that he could hold one in each hand.

"Not as big to defend with," he observed, "but faster at least."

He charged forward, swiping the fox with the broken planks. To his confusion, this fox didn't seem to retailate - yet he hadn't connected with his third swing before it vanished, reappearing clear across the rooftop. The flames around it started to drift towards it; Zaha promptly crossed the distance, striking at it as much as he could before the flames were near enough to threaten him, then stepping back. They briefly circled the Noise before converging on its tail - and more tails appeared as they did, leaving it with four.

 _Some kinda kitsune?_ Zaha realized. _What happens if it makes nine?_

When he made to resume his attack, the Noise vanished again; this time, a green frog of some sort appeared nearby, bloating briefly before spewing bubbles at him. Zaha knew better than to let the bubbles make contact; he dodged through the bombardment before striking the Noise with his planks, and it vanished as the fox reappeared again. Three more flames appeared when it howled; Zaha swiped at one with his board as he passed it, and was mildly disappointed when his plank didn't ignite; he merely returned his attention to the fox, watching for when its flames got near enough to be a threat and then leaping away.

Only two of them surrounded the Noise this time; Zaha realized his strike had eliminated the one, and quickly attacked the Noise again once it had six tails. It vanished under his second hit, and a grey wolf appeared nearby, lunging at him. Zaha managed to deflect its claws with one plank, but was unprepared for the blazing trail behind it; he felt the pain, but no heat, and before he could turn to the wolf, the fox had appeared once more. This time it didn't vanish until after his third blow landed, and a raven-looking thing appeared behind him; it lashed its wings forward, and feather-looking blades flew forward, cutting across Zaha's arms.

He brought one plank down on its beak, causing the bird to vanish; the fox appeared with another howl, and more flames appeared. Zaha brought his planks through one and then another, wiping them out on his way to the Noise, before striking the fox as much as he could; when the third flame approached, he moved aside as it circled the Noise, then brought his planks down on it before it vanished with a seventh tail. A shadow expanded beneath him; Zaha leapt back as a massive stone shape that looked like the top half of the Flower Fight Memorial descended where he had been standing, then vanished as the fox appeared in its place.

Three more flames once again; Zaha struck the nearest two and was approaching the third before it started to approach the Noise, and he cursed as it outpaced him, circling the Noise for an eighth tail. This time, when it vanished, a massive shape appeared that looked like a burning human skeleton from the waist up; Zaha narrowly leapt back, not trusting himself to defend against that thing; but it didn't attack before it vanished again, and the fox appeared with another howl.

Zaha struck two flames and didn't bother approaching the third, instead attacking the fox in the hopes of finishing it off. As the last flame approached, he tried to strike as he leapt aside, barely missing; a ninth tail appeared behind the fox, and this time nine more flames appeared around it, circling around it so quickly, Zaha couldn't tell where one fire ended and another began.

With a rush of light, the fox was gone - and the wind above 39 had _disappeared_. Zaha glanced around, not understanding, before he saw it - a massive, humanoid figure soaring around 39. Nine massive, furred tails of white flowed behind what would be considered the base of a human's spine; its head and neck were almost draconian, curving forward and coming to a point. Its body looked armoured, save for a pair of taloned feet formed from red-and-golden lines like the fox's tails had been; from the creature's shoulder blades emerged a pair of great, pointed wings, formed from the same.

The Noise halted off the edge of 39, opposite where the elevator box stood; Zaha's grip on his planks faltered as it turned its gaze upon him. A narrow beam of pink light emerged from between its eyes, connecting it to Zaha painlessly; then it opened its maw, and that pink light began to gather in its mouth. Zaha was paralyzed by fear as the light intensified; then the Noise brought its head back and _lunged_ forward, and a blast of pink flames, forged of Noise lines, soared forth with a shockwave, slamming into the roof centered on Zaha.

The world was consumed by fire, and he could feel nothing but pain; his screams echoed across DIVA - across _Diola_ \- and for a moment he swore he would die here. But then it faded, an instant before erasure found him; he fell to his knees and almost collapsed backwards, panting, _crying_ , as the wind blew once again. When the pain subsided enough for him to **see** , the fox was sitting before him, with only one tail once again.

He seized one plank and hurled it feebly at the Noise; it tumbled into the fox, and it vanished, leaving him alone atop 39.

Tears of pain flowed down his face as he tried to recover, _desperately_ wanting to be able to stand again. After a long moment, he found the strength to get to his feet, looking around - and it was then that he saw a familiar figure standing before the elevator and the barrier upon it.

"Too slow. Again."

Shiie knew better than to assume those tears were of sorrow; she knew for herself the feeling of pain so intense as to force tears to one's eyes even if there was nothing about which to be sad, having experienced it long before Zaha and his gang had broken her. But as she watched the cruel man stare at her, she saw his expression change; in an instant, the tears became those of despair, and she knew that she had overcome him.

"No..." Zaha stumbled back, his body still burning with pain. "Please, no... I'll do anything. Please, don't make me fight that again."

The interim Reaper stepped forward. "Anything, you say. You'll obey my instructions, no matter what they entail?"

Zaha bowed his head. "Yes. I can't fight that again. Please. _Please_."

Shiie stopped before him. "I can change your conditions to pass - if you show me how much you're willing to do."

There was no hesitation; Zaha fell to his knees once again, and this time his hands moved forward, supporting him as he bowed his head. " _Please_ ," he begged, his voice cracking. "Anything. No matter what. I swear it. Tell me what you want me to do."

For a long moment, the only sounds atop 39 were the wind, and Zaha's pained breath.

"...Kill yourself."

Zaha's gaze shot up. "What?"

"You refused to _attempt_ to partner with anyone," Shiie observed. "You mocked the idea of forming a pact to survive. You would rather endure the endless Noise who plague a lone Player than even _entertain the idea_ of working with anyone else. And you voiced your refusal to even **try** to complete any of the missions you were given. The Reaper's Game is a judgement of the deceased, with Players rewarded for proving themselves willing to benefit the world around them. And you stand before me, suffering from the consequences of your own actions, and ask me to ease your self-inflicted burden!?"

She lifted her foot and pressed it against Zaha's chest, pushing him backwards; he scrambled back, stumbling to his feet. "Why?" he pleaded. " _Why!?_ "

"Why not?"

Shiie's bitter words only intensified the terror that Zaha felt. "What?"

"That was all the motivation you needed, wasn't it?" Shiie demanded. "You hurt people, you _kill_ people." She advanced forward, leaving Zaha taking a step back for her every unsteady step forward. "You force people into your debt, and then coerce them into serving you under the pretense of compensation! Your underlings tortured and broke a defenseless girl who meant to bring you no harm, crippling her beyond healing! And when they were driven off before they could finish the job, you hunted her down and killed her, assaulting those who defended her! You didn't need a reason to be cruel! You needed a reason _not to be!_ And now you stand in the Underground, and you **despair** \- because you are at the mercy of _DIVA and her pawns!_ "

Zaha was at the edge of the roof now, and his heel made contact over the edge, causing him to start.

"You don't want to complete missions?! You don't want to fight Noise?! You don't want to be part of the Reaper's Game!?"

Shiie raised her left hand, and light gathered in her palm.

"Then _die!_ "

A ray of light surged forth from her hand, and slammed into Zaha; he recoiled over the edge of the 39 Building, and gravity had begun to seize him before he faded away.

Shiie stood there for a long moment, hand outstretched. Slowly, she started to withdraw it, turning her palm towards herself, and she realized what had happened.

"I did it..." She closed her eyes. "He's gone..." Her hand dove into her pocket, drawing out her phone; she quickly called Ruby and raised the device to her ear before the dial tone had even begun. "Pick up, Ruby," she pleaded. "I want to-"

_"The number you have dialed is unregistered. Please try again."_

Shiie blinked at the automated voice. "What?" She glanced at her phone and checked her contacts again, tapping on Ruby's name. "I know you answered me on Day 1, what-?"

_"The number you have dialed is unregistered. Please try again."_

"What is-?"

Her phone buzzed with a message; Shiie brought it before her, finding it was from Cyber Songman.

 _Your period as a Reaper without wings has ended.  
Come to the Otherworld to meet your verdict.  
_ _~The Conductor_

"Ended?" Shiie looked up. "The Game is over? It hasn't been ten hours since Zaha woke-"

Realization struck; her grip slacked on her phone, and it clattered to the ground.

"...No..."

**Unforgiven  
** **Chapter Closed**


	18. Induction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> The moment you know you were waiting for. Let's watch it happen.

"You saw right through us."

Len groaned at Meiko's admission. "You guys seriously wrote this _planning_ to write another?" he demanded. "What were you gonna do if everyone hated it?"

"That's why we wrote it the way we did," Kaito explained. "If everyone hates it, it's a conclusive end - an ugly end, sure, but still an end. You don't _have_ to know there's more to it. If they like it, we can write another."

"And are you gonna make the next one be a cliffhanger?" Rin argued.

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Meiko insisted. "It's a four-minute song, not a movie or a video game. We're not getting a massive budget out of it that we can use as a safety net, we're putting it online where anyone can listen to it."

"You're still telling a story," Luka observed. "How many chapters do you have planned? How much is the audience going to be left not knowing if one ends and there is no next one?"

Kaito aimed his finger at Len's legs. "Mostly why the subtitles say 'Doll'," he admitted.

"What."

The door opened, and Miku stepped into the studio. "Sorry I'm late," she pleaded.

Rin turned to her. "What kept you?"

"Line at Galaco's," Miku replied; she had a bag in one hand. "You guys said you wanted to have a movie night after this."

"You got popcorn?" Luka asked.

Miku shook her head. "No, I got Star Bits."

"That'll be different," Meiko mused.

"A good different," Kaito argued.

"Was that really a good idea for action movies?" Luka asked. "What are you gonna do if we get a jaw-dropping whammy at the end?"

"Then I'm probably gonna throw my drink at the TV," Miku admitted.

"Don't you freaking dare!" Rin snapped.

* * *

No sooner had Shiie stepped into the elevator at Otherworld's Await - with shaking steps that had nothing to do with her prosthetic legs - than she found herself standing in a cavern of blue crystals. She recognized this place - it was the cave where the Conductor had erased the other Players before she had been sentenced to her three Games as interim Reaper. After a long moment, footsteps emerged behind her; she turned around to find Cyber Songman standing there.

"...Will the surviving Players be joining us?" Shiie asked.

"No," Songman replied. "The Players were brought here before you arrived; they received their verdict, and went their separate ways."

"I see." Shiie closed her eyes. "And what of my verdict?"

Songman held one hand at his side, palm-up, and a pale light appeared above his hand. "You understand, I presume, what your entry fee entails?"

Shiie closed her eyes. "Memory," she observed. "Of me. From everything. So long as you hold it hostage, there is nothing that remembers me as I was alive - not people, not records, not data. My voice is associated with no one, and my craft assumed to have manifested from nonexistence. Am I wrong?"

The Conductor shook his head. "You are not."

His victim let her head fall. "Then please. I welcome oblivion, but I have spent my life regarded as nothing. If you have any mercy-"

"Six Players."

Cyber Songman's interruption had Shiie raising her head. "What?"

"The Game Master is permit to attack Players directly on the seventh day of the Game over which they hold purview," he observed. "Many Reapers, presented with the opportunity, desire the pleasure of erasing Players themselves, and so are like to seek out the Players themselves - offering little opportunity for the field Reapers to take action. Thus, it was decided that an erasure rate one Player per day, averaged over the eighteen days where the Game Masters are _not_ permit to attack Players directly, would bring you sufficient score for your repentance - a requirement of six Players per week."

Shiie's eyes widened as she realized what she had been doing over the course of Ruby's Game. "No..."

"However, over the course of your sentence of twenty-one days, you have erased only thirteen Players total, and have not acted in accordance to any Game Master's instructions during that time. Your score is insufficient to breach the threshold you have been given in order to reclaim your entry fee."

The light hovering above Songman's palm began to _darken_ , and he moved his hand around it before curling his fingers inward. Shiie could only watch as a sound like thin ice breaking echoed throughout the cavern, and cracks of white extended across the light, which had been reduced to black.

Then, suddenly, nothing - there was nothing in his grip, and the Conductor's fingers closed into a fist from the force with which he was holding the now-empty air.

Shiie cried out as pain ripped through her body; her prosthetic legs seemed to lose any ability to support her weight, and she fell to her knees, head reeling back from torment. Her center of weight was forward; she collapsed upon the floor of Cyber Songman's cavern, making no attempt to support herself, her arm briefly reaching forward before her torso hit the ground and she fell to the side, lying prone on the crystal surface, tears trailing from her eyes.

Cyber Songman did not even allow her a moment to cry.

"All the same, you are a survivor of the Reaper's Game."

Shiie tried to rise, tried to _move_. Her prosthetics wouldn't answer her command; but her left hand found the surface beneath her, and she managed to push herself up on it. After a long moment, and many tears, she pushed herself back, sitting upon her legs, gaze upon the floor of the cavern.

"You have three options available to you," the Conductor proclaimed. "The next Reaper's Game awaits its Players; you are free to enter into it, and attempt to return to life once more. The Reapers forever welcome any who wish to join their ranks, and have survived long enough to be presented the option. But if you have nothing for which you wish to live, you may be erased here and now, without condemning anyone to the same fate."

There was silence between them for a long moment.

The utterance that ended it was almost unheard in the cavern, catching Songman off-guard. "I beg your pardon?"

Shiie raised her gaze, tears still flowing down her face - but her expression was one of anger as well as sorrow. "Give me wings," she demanded. "Reapers exist above the Realground - and no one in the Realground knows who I am. I have nothing to gain from life anew, nor will I be remembered beyond my demise as I now am. Give me wings."

Her prosthetic hand answered her call at last, and closed into a fist.

"Give me the power of a Reaper."

Songman smiled. "Very well. Your wish is within my power to grant."

He raised his hand; this time, Shiie's cries were of shock, and she closed her eyes as the power rushed through her. Phantasmal lines emerged from behind her back - red and gold, like the tails of the fox Noise that she had set upon Zaha. They extended outward and downward, until they were as long as her arms, and nearly touched the ground below her - then they took solid form with a rush of darkness, and Shiie found herself pulled back from the sudden weight of their solid form.

Skeletal wings, black as night, now extended from her back, and the Conductor lowered his hand. "The Reapers welcome you, Chiyuki Shiie."

"...Ca."

Again was Cyber Songman confused by her utterance - though this time, not from a lack of volume. "Sorry?"

_I cannot wait... to hear the gentle sounds of your corpse..._

The words of Sing Love had risen anew in the mind of the newly-empowered Reaper; she set her right hand against the floor, using it to support herself as she got to her feet. "Chiyuki Shiie is dead. Her memory has been burned from the records of this world, and no one will hear her lament. You cannot welcome her, for she does not stand before you."

She raised her gaze to Cyber Songman, and her dead left eye briefly turned deep blue, surrounded by black on all sides.

"From this day forth, my name is Calne Ca."

* * *

Kokone and Chika were the first to arrive in the Dead God's Pad, and spent some time there before the others followed. Neither of them had seen Shiie since Day 4 - a small wonder, given they had not seen her anywhere during the past two Games - and they couldn't help but speculate what their brief sighting had meant. Ruby had seemed to have some idea, but had refused to disclose details before her demise, claiming that if Shiie did not want to share, then the Game Master had no business doing so without her consent. 

As ever, Songman did not arrive to the meeting he had called until all Reapers had been there for a full minute; he stepped into the room, and the conversations went silent.

"With the end of this Game," the Conductor announced, "we have received a boon. One of the Players not returned to life was presented her choice, and has chosen to join our ranks, empowering the Reaper's Game in the process. It is just that we all be introduced to our newest member, that we be aware of her role in our hierarchy."

He stepped aside, and someone stepped in behind him - with shaky steps.

"May I introduce Calne Ca, our newest Reaper."

Chika was about to speak before Kokone silenced her; both of them recognized the girl stepping inside, both legs and one arm careful prosthetics, the other scarred from burning. The added weight of Reaper's wings seemed to have offset her balance somewhat, preventing her from maintaining the speed she had before; however, as she stepped in, her gaze was firm, and she looked over the Reaper Collective with determination.

"Thank you for allowing me to join you," she proclaimed. "I am Calne Ca - one name. It is a pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to working alongside you all in the Reaper's Game."

She bowed politely, hands coming together before her; when she rose again, her attention was on the Reapers who knew her.

**Wings  
** **Chapter Closed**


	19. Accumulation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> The next few chapters are probably gonna be pretty short. Sorry.

"I am never taking your advice for movies again."

Gumi snickered into the line. _"What, you don't like cliffhangers?"_

Miku shook her head. "Not only was that an unpleasant and bitter cliffhanger," she retorted, "but the movie's been out for almost a year and there's no indication there's even going to **be** a sequel. Why would you recommend that one?"

 _"You told me Kaito and Meiko had another one lined up after our eight-man song,"_ Gumi argued. _"You can't get on my case about that."_

"A, we didn't **know** they had another one lined up," Miku countered. "B, **they** didn't end it with a cliffhanger, and said they weren't going to end **any** of them with a cliffhanger."

 _"Just be glad you didn't invite Gakupo to movie night,"_ Gumi mused.

Miku raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

 _"He's an asshat in the aftermath,"_ Gumi insisted. _"60% of the named characters die, you know what he says? 'There's going to be another one, there's no reason to react.' Doesn't even care about the meantime."_

"Serously?" Miku muttered.

 _"Yeah,"_ Gumi admitted. _"I told him to piss off and that I was never gonna watch a movie with him again after he did something like **that**."_

"I don't blame you," Miku observed.

Gumi sighed. _"So, you just call me to tell me off?"_

Miku hummed. "Well, now that you say that, I-"

_"Wait, you **did** just call me to tell me off?"_

"Don't act like you didn't ask for it!" Miku retorted. "Anyways, I found a weird file the other day, on the laptop I bring to the studio. Did you happen to copy a song onto my computer?"

 _"What?"_ Gumi sounded confused. _"No. What's it called?"_

"The filename was a number sequence of some kind," Miku admitted. "But it was an audio file, some kind of weird techno instrumental."

 _"You sure the others didn't put it on there for your solo project?"_ Gumi inquired

Miku shook her head. "It doesn't sound anything like what we set up for my solo project," she proclaimed, "and the lyrics wouldn't even fit to it."

 _"Definitely strange,"_ Gumi admitted. _"I'm gonna ask around the collective, see if it's some kinda prank from Ryuto or Una."_

"Okay, thanks."

* * *

"That is so disorienting."

Chika had taken it upon herself to show Calne Ca the ropes of being a Reaper, before the next Game began and forced her to learn it on the fly. Being as Reapers were not permit to wear Player Pins - and were capable of all the same powers without them - the first element was to invoke the ability to see Noise; the two of them were standing in Starmine Square, looking around.

At the new Reaper's comment, Chika chuckled lightly. "It is, a bit, isn't it?" she admitted. "It happens a lot more immediately with wings than it does with a Player Pin."

"Not just that," Calne Ca mused. "With my Pin, I'd always trigger it by touch if I needed to scan for Noise."

"A lot of Players do," Chika observed. "But you don't _need_ to - it's enough to just have the Pin on your person and want to see them." She rolled her shoulders briefly as she added, "Once you've been a Reaper for long enough, you'll be able to do it subconsciously. And if you're in the RG and an aggressive Noise gets close to you, you'll see their UG form regardless."

"Aggressive?" Calne Ca looked around the area. "What do you mean?"

"Some Noise try to latch on to civilians who are exuding negativity and affect them," Chika explained. "Reapers can't be affected, but the Noise can't distinguish that if you're in the RG, so they'll try to affect you. And then there's Noise that a Reaper has specifically invoked to attack the Players - like, say, a shark Noise lying in wait for an ambush."

Calne Ca turned abruptly at that comment - but any concerns of accusation faded when Chika's gaze fell.

"...There's a third case, but if they show up, you've got bigger problems than seeing them from the RG."

After a moment, Calne Ca turned her attention back to the Noise again. "So, if I try and fight Noise, can I still use my pin psychs?"

"As long as you've made a pact," Chika confirmed. "You can make one with your shadow, another Reaper, or a Player. That last one's not recommended; pact with a Player, you're on the Player list - and you'll get erased if your partner does. And pacts between Reapers are best made on a case-by-case basis when you need to fight alongside each other." She shook her head. "That being said, you have other combat options as a Reaper. Like your revolver."

Calne Ca knew better than to try and handle a firearm with her prosthetic arm when she still had trouble getting precise movements; the revolver she had been given after being inducted was holstered on her left side, and now she drew it from its holster and held it before her.

"When held by a Reaper," Chika proclaimed, "it doesn't need ammunition; it'll fire as many times as you pull the trigger. But if you load the specialty bullets into it, the shots will have added effects."

"Is that it?" Calne Ca asked, holstering the revolver again. "Just my pins and the gun?"

"No," Chika sighed. "As you grow as a Reaper, you'll be able to... I guess the best way to describe it is that you forge psychs of your own design. Psychs that aren't tied to your pins. In fact, now that you're made a Reaper, you probably don't need the pins for the psychs you've got."

Calne Ca glanced at her top, where her pins were still clipped. "Maybe... but there's more reason to wear a pin than just for the psychs."

Chika turned to her. "I don't think I ever did see you fight as a Player," she observed.

"Not surprising," Calne Ca admitted. "Let me show you."

She raised her prosthetic hand towards two of the sigils floating around, causing them to drift towards her; as they got near enough, blue frogs leapt from them, and as each landed, a ring of tadpoles so dark they seemed black appeared around it.

Calne Ca moved her scarred arm forward, and light gathered in her palm; the beam flew forward after a short moment, tearing straight through one frog and its spawn and erasing whatever it struck. Then she moved her hand down, and her massive blade appeared in her grip; she waited for the other frog to get close enough, and then swung it over her head and down, erasing that frog as well.

"Holy shit," Chika muttered. "Seems like you've got all you need."

"Yeah," Calne Ca admitted. "Two heavy hits, and something that'll hit rapidly when I need it."

* * *

Calne Ca's first few Games as a Reaper proper found her on Support duty, setting up walls and issuing conditions under which they had to be cleared. As she had suspected, conditions that one Player with improvised weapons couldn't meet were conditions that two Players with a pact _could_ \- but issuing the conditions at all was sufficient for her to score, so long as it was at the behest of the officers, Game Master, or Conductor.

After the sixth day of her third Game as Support, Calne Ca found herself joined on her way to Cybernation Plaza by Kokone. "Something the matter?"

"Um, no," Kokone assured her, realizing that her hurried steps had made her look a bit panicked. "Sorry. You're going to Gold Transistor?"

"More or less," Calne Ca confirmed. "Did you care to join me?"

Kokone nodded. "Yes, if you didn't mind."

Calne Ca smiled. "Not at all."

The two of them resumed their walk up Parallel Circuit; after a moment, Kokone spoke up. "So, uh, Ca - can I call you just Ca?"

"If you like."

"Is there a reason for... the change?"

A sigh from Calne Ca. "Why do you care?" Her mood had darkened considerably at the question.

"I just... want to know before I say something insensitive," Kokone insisted.

Calne Ca shook her head. "Never mention it again, and there's no risk of that."

Silence permeated the rest of the walk; as they arrived in Cybernation, it was Calne Ca's turn to ask a question. "Is it just me, or are my wings getting smaller?"

"They might be," Kokone confirmed. "Your wings are an indicator of your power; the smaller they are, the stronger you are as a Reaper." She glanced at Calne Ca's. "Yours don't look like you've gotten too much stronger... but I think you might have other concerns than power."

"Yeah," Calne Ca confirmed. "My center of balance is different with wings than it is without." She reached for her prosthetic legs. "The first few days was like learning to walk on these things all over again. And the smaller they get..."

"The more your balance changes," Kokone admitted. "There is a minimum size, but... I think Songman is the only one who's anywhere close to it. Sorry."

"I can get used to it," Calne Ca assured her. "Reapers can't attack Players directly except in self-defense, and I don't need to do a lot of running around in that case."

They were stepping into Gold Transistor by now; Calne Ca made sure to have her weight on the doorknob when she made contact, so that when her wings disappeared due to the modulator decal, she had something to support her as she stepped in.

**Score  
** **Chapter Closed**


	20. Reputation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> You know something... I don't think what you do with Reaper Creeper has any effect on the outcome. That's... lazy.

"I don't see how you _could_ add lyrics to that. It sounds like it was _meant_ to be instrumental."

Miku had decided to show Rin and Len the unfamiliar music file she had found, only for them to be left at just as much a loss as herself. At Len's comment, Rin shook her head. "I wouldn't rule it out entirely until someone better than us finds it," she argued, "but yeah. This wasn't made to sing to."

"I thought as much," Miku admitted. "I just have no idea where it came from."

"Nothing from the Reapers, yet?" Rin asked.

"No response from Gumi," Miku observed, "which I'm going to assume means 'it's not them'."

Len shook his head. "I _hope_ it's not them," he admitted. "After what you guys said about that Ryuto character, I wouldn't trust him to do _harmless_ pranks."

"Not at all," Rin agreed.

Miku sighed. "Better the devil you know," she argued. "If it wasn't him, who was it? Have I got someone's malware on my music laptop, and sending me this was just a test run? I don't want to have to wipe the whole thing."

Rin's gaze fell. "That's a good point."

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Conductor?"

Calne Ca stepped into the Dead God's Pad, unsurprised to find Cyber Songman waiting for her. As she closed the door, Songman nodded. "Thank you for coming, Calne Ca," he greeted. "You've been serving us exceptionally since your induction as a Reaper proper."

"Thank you," Calne Ca deferred.

"You have done well enough to move up, to a degree," Songman observed. "The choice is yours. Are you content serving as Support, or do you wish to take action as a Harrier?"

Calne Ca considered for a moment. "...Is this reversible, if I should find Harrier duties outside of my capabilities?"

Songman crossed his arms behind his back. "In a manner of speaking."

"Meaning what?"

"You are aware that your score determines your lifespan as a Reaper?" Songman inquired. "When you have only six days left, your wings vanish, and your power with them. Reapers under such circumstances are incapable of performing Harrier duties, and are thus reduced to Support status, whose tasks can be achieved with merely keypins."

"Very well," Calne Ca mused. "I accept. I shall serve as a Harrier."

"Wonderful."

Calne Ca bowed politely, and made her way out of the Dead God's Pad, returning to her quarters in the Otherworld. The Reapers' rooms were in many ways similar to civilian apartments in DIVA, though arguably smaller; the officers were the most frequent users of theirs, but 'frequent' was a relative term, often only sleeping there in cases of overnight paperwork. Harriers and Support rarely used theirs unless missions began early or ended late, and even Cyber Songman was often seen leaving the Otherworld for greater Diola late at night.

But Chiyuki Shiie had lost her residence when the Realground had forgotten her. Calne Ca only rarely departed the Underground, and so she had made her quarters as a Reaper into her home. The quarters were segmented into a kitchen area (fully equipped for all needs of heat, cold, and water) and a bedroom area (with complimentary king-sized bed and television), with an attached bathroom; Calne Ca locked the door behind her and started into the bedroom, sitting down upon the bed.

Her wings - now half as large as they had been when she had joined - vanished from her back, and she started to detach her prosthetics as she prepared for a night's rest.

* * *

"Shit, it's _her!_ "

Calne Ca raised her right hand before her face, index and middle fingers together, others splayed; a great horned sigil appeared at her side as the Players she had cornered - a pair of boys in sportsman uniforms - started to flee down Two Kind Walk. Then she swept her hand forward, and the Noise rushed towards them; from the sigil emerged a massive mammoth in pink and gold, and as its pale feet struck the ground the Players were thrown off-balance by the tremors that its steps caused. One hit the pavement, tumbling closer; before he had the chance to right himself, the woolly swung its trunk, and the blades at its tip slammed into him.

He reeled back, hit the pavement... and vanished.

His partner didn't last the seven minutes.

Satisfied, Calne Ca turned her prosthetic palm-up and closed it into a fist, and the Noise vanished, erased in an instant by the one who had formed it. She was about to seek out the next pair of Players when she felt it - the mission had been completed, and with it the Players had passed out, insubstantial until the next Day's mission began. With a sigh, she turned back to Starmine Square, intending to head up Snowdust Street and visit a restaurant in Ashes Square.

"You show up, and they yell 'it's her'? Really made a name for yourself, haven't you?"

Calne Ca gave a small smile. "You could say that, I suppose."

She turned towards the voice, finding Chika standing there. "That wasn't mockery, Ca," she insisted. "Most Harriers are happy if they can get one repeat Player recognizing them with concern. You get that out of everyone by the end of their first week. That's impressive. You'll be getting an officer slot before long."

"Maybe," Calne Ca admitted. "Who knows. If I want to, there's a hurdle I have to clear first."

Chika's face fell. "You mean the Game Master position?"

"Yes."

The senior Reaper glanced around. "Is that what everyone's been telling you?"

"What?" Calne Ca raised her gaze. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sure you've noticed..." Chika's gaze narrowed. "Well... perhaps not." Calne Ca was not exactly social among the Reapers, preferring to spend her time at Gold Transistor or stay in the Otherworld when the Game wasn't on, and she hadn't left the UG without a modulator decal in the years since she joined. "But me and Kokone have been Reapers for a bit longer than you, and... not all officers go through a stint as Game Master first."

Calne Ca blinked. "They don't?"

Chika shook her head. "If you _request_ a position as officer," she insisted, "and they accept it, then you have to get 100% erasure as Game Master first. But if you just go about your work, and you happen to do well enough to catch Songman's eye - or, perhaps, Diva's - then they'll offer you an officer position, straight-up. No strings attached."

"Is that it?" Calne Ca's gaze fell. "Then, what... serving as Game Master is supposed to be punishment for _asking_?"

"I don't know," Chika admitted. "But some of the Support Reapers have some theories that... they like to keep quiet about."

"...I can imagine why."

**Advancement  
** **Chapter Closed**


	21. Judgement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> I know the original is more popular, but the so-called "High Resolution" version of Bacterial Contamination has such a better melody to it. I find it annoying how much less-appreciated that one is.

" _Saikin osen mo asamatte  
Kibun wa mou yoku natta  
Ano ko ni utsushite no de  
Aha  
Aha  
Aha  
Ha-ha-ha_"

At once, everyone seemed to come to the same conclusion - pitch, rhythm, and vocalizations all came to a close as Miku narrowed her gaze at her sheet music. She had put aside the thought of her mysterious music file for now, and Glory Music had turned their attention to her own song. They'd put customized instrumentals to the track, but for every song they made, they wanted to be able to perform it in concert. And so, even after the song had been perfected and uploaded where the world could see t, they would always try to play it with their instruments of choice, to make sure they could make it sound just as appealing on the stage as in the studio.

And in the same instant, towards the end of the song, everyone was certain they _couldn't_ make it sound just as appealing.

"It doesn't work," Luka voiced. "Not live."

"It's the... jumpy bits," Kaito insisted, lacking a better term. "You can't do that with an instrument the way you can do that with an audio file."

"You can't do it with a voice, either," Miku admitted. "I can't get that... cut-off, cut-on effect." She shook her head. "I'm gonna have to rework this whole thing."

"Maybe not try it with raw instrumentals," Meiko suggested. "Just focus on making a working live version. Have a little something special for the concerts."

Miku smiled. "That's... not a bad idea."

* * *

"Leave me alone!"

The familiar voice from nearby drew Calne Ca's attention. Ever since she had been inducted as a Reaper, she had experienced no trouble from the gang that Zaha had formerly led. But today was the first day of a Game; the missions were over, and she had been on her way into Cybernation Plaza when she heard a youthful voice from nearby. Turning, she found two hooded figures charging down Parallel Circuit - a petite individual she recognized as Nafe, pursued by a huge brute that couldn't be anyone but Karli.

Curiosity had her; Calne Ca followed them to find Karli pinning her down at the intersection with I_O Walk. Then, against her resistance, he dragged her in the direction of Rouge Square; when it seemed they were about to enter, Karli turned into the Garden of the White Knight - on the I_O side of the river.

The rest of Zaha's gang was standing there.

"Nicely done, Karli," Shizu praised. "I was worried she'd be too swift."

Karli grunted, throwing Nafe forward; the downward slope of the Garden meant she tumbled for a bit before she managed to right herself.

"Let me go!" she protested. "What do you want from me?"

"What do _we_ want from _you_?" Mazuma scoffed. "Zaha left you in charge after he died, but you've had us sitting around twiddling our thumbs in the years since. What do _you_ want from _us_?"

Nafe shook her head. "I don't want **anything**!" she protested. "I never asked to be part of this!"

"You joined us because of a debt," Lilio retorted. "You think you can just walk away?"

"If you want to keep causing trouble, why don't **you** run the place!" Nafe retorted. "Or are you too scared to be in charge of a bunch of psychopaths!?"

Quiet washed over the garden.

Mii was the one who broke it. "She's got a point," she told Lilio. "She's only in charge because of Zaha. If she gives up her position, _you_ were the next-highest ranked after him."

Lilio grinned. "Fair enough."

Nafe's face fell. "What?"

"Karli."

At Shizu's utterance, Karli lunged forward; Nafe barely managed to jump aside as his hands closed on where she had been, and he was left skidding down towards the river that cut through the Garden. Shizu proceeded to bar her path towards I_O Walk, grabbing her by the arm; Nafe barely had a chance to struggle before Shizu brought her knee up, and an unpleasant _crack_ emerged from Nafe's arm, earning a scream of pain as she was thrown down the garden. Lilio raised his foot as she tumbled closer to her, driving the cleated sole of his boot into Nafe's face; Mii leapt over her, landing just uphill of her; the back of her heel struck the younger girl, knocking her down the remainder of the slope.

The entire assault had lasted maybe thirteen seconds; the river had a steep drop-off, and Nafe fell into the water, still crying out.

The speed of the river made it difficult for anyone to right themselves - let alone someone who couldn't swim.

Calne Ca stepped forward, her wings vanishing as she stepped into the Realground. "You'll pay for that one."

Karli grunted as he turned around; Shizu huffed, stepping forward. "And who are you supposed to be?" she demanded.

"Someone who's not about to let the killing of a minor go unpunished," Calne Ca proclaimed.

"Tell me you don't think we're gonna let you just report us to the cops," Mazuma retorted.

His hands rose up with a pair of familiar of blades, each as long as his forearm; Karli lunged forward, grabbing Calne Ca by her left arm - her scarred arm. But Calne Ca had prepared for this; her wings flickered on her back as she shifted, just briefly, to the UG and then back to the RG - being merely a Reaper, her own shift didn't bring Karli with her, and for all the world he would swear she had wrenched her hand free with sheer force as Mazuma charged her.

She brought her prosthetic up between her and the first knife he made to bring down; the edge cut through the plastic faux-skin coating, but the prosthetic itself was durable enough to take the blow without trouble. She quickly sidestepped the second swing, putting herself between Mazuma and Karli; when the brute tried to grab her again, she leapt aside, causing him to grab Mazuma's arm instead. The reaction was too fast to be anything but automatic; Mazuma twisted around to strike with the knife in his other hand, and Karli gave a _roar_ of pain as the edge slashed across his eyes.

"Karli!" Shizu glared at Mazuma. "You son of a...!"

Mii and Lilio were charging Calne Ca in the meantime; Mii was brandishing what appeared to be an empty bottle, and made to swing it at Calne Ca's head. She stopped it on her prosthetic arm, and an unpleasant _crack_ heralded her hand going limp; the bottle hadn't broken against the impact, but had severed something in the wiring. Lilio's first kick was narrowly sidestepped, and Calne Ca grabbed the bottle in Mii's hand with her scarred arm; attempting to wrench it out of her grip ended up dragging her off-balance and into the path of Lilio's next kick, which struck her in the head and knocked her into the river after Nafe.

"No! Mii!" Lilio growled, turning to Calne Ca. "Bitch!"

Shizu and Mazuma had come to blows by now; Karli was trying to see through his bloodied eyes, and Calne Ca quickly whistled to get his attention. Karli turned and charged towards her while Lilio tried to close the distance; Calne Ca stepped back without a word from his attempted blows, and Karli's blind attempts to strike at her slammed into Lilio instead, knocking the wind out of him as he tumbled back. Karli's next blow slammed into his face, knocking him down; his legs curled over his head in a most uncomfortable-looking roll before he slid far enough that his head was in the water.

"Karli, stop!" Shizu insisted. "Follow my-!"

She was cut off by her own scream as Mazuma managed to land a solid blow, his blade sinking into her stomach; Karli turned with an angry roar, charging towards the sound as Shizu stumbled away and fell to her knees. Mazuma turned with a curse, sidestepping the first wild swing and lashing his blade across Karli's arm; the blind swing that followed was easily evaded, and he brought both of his knives across Karli's neck. The brute gave a strangled gasp, trying to strike at Mazuma, but the knifeman only stepped back, leaving him falling to the ground unhindered.

He was breathing heavy from the adrenaline - and his focus was on Karli, which meant he failed to notice Shizu going for his knife until it had already been wrenched out of his hand. Mazuma couldn't react before she drove it into his chest, and he yelled, tortured, as she dragged it down his torso. Mazuma tried to turn towards him, but the light was quickly fading from his eyes, and he fell against Karli's body as Shizu let the weapon fall.

She turned to Calne Ca, who was standing there watching everything. "You crazy whore... You did this..."

"You all did this to yourselves," Calne Ca retorted. "You tried to kill me, and I defended myself. Your blows stuck one another, and you took offense. You killed an innocent, and now you pay the price."

She cast Mii's empty bottle aside, and then raised the scarred arm that had held it. "Or did you think the dead would forget what the living did?"

Shizu tried to move forward, and then fell to the ground; Calne Ca took a deep breath, letting her wings reappear upon her back as she returned to the Underground.

"Ca?!"

The voice drew Calne Ca's attention; standing on the Amaretto side of the Garden was Kokone, stepping down in shock. "What did you do?"

"I defended myself when they tried to kill me," Calne Ca proclamed.

"You killed them!" Kokone accused.

"They killed each other," Calne Ca insisted. "All I did was disarm one of them, and avoid the rest when they tried to strike me."

"You did that on purpose," Kokone retorted, "and you know it!"

"Are you going to tell me they didn't deserve it!?"

Calne Ca's outburst caught Kokone off-guard; she shook her head. "These bastards are Zaha's underlings! They went around hurting people, killing people, _coercing_ _people_ for no reason - because they didn't see a reason **not** to! Zaha left the newest one in charge, and she refused to continue things, and they **killed** her for it! If they killed each other because I was strong enough to avoid dying this time, the blame lies with **them**!"

She shook her head. "And now they're Players."

"And now you don't have an excuse!" Kokone countered. "Do you think you can just erase them when the next Game starts? Reapers are not allowed to attack Players directly!"

" _Harriers_ are not allowed to attack Players directly," Calne Ca corrected. "Except in self-defense."

Kokone's mouth fell open. "You're not..."

Calne Ca glanced at her right arm; returning to the UG meant the Reaper's power ran through her body again, including the healing of minor wounds - which appeared to include the reparation of her prosthetics.

"I am."

* * *

"You wish to be made Game Master?"

Calne Ca nodded. "Yes. Several Players for the next Game are terrible sorts who have shown time and again that they exist only for cruelty. It would put my mind at ease to be able to see to their erasure myself."

Cyber Songman's gaze went to her wings - which had grown so small that they barely passed the edges of her shoulders. "You've certainly proven yourself powerful enough to handle the position," he confirmed. "But you are aware, I presume, what the position of Game Master entails? If you fail to erase _all_ the Players during the week..."

"...my own erasure is the final mission," Calne Ca confirmed. "Yes, about that. Am I allowed to issue the mission myself?"

The Conductor stepped back in shock. "I beg your pardon?"

"I know it's stupid," Calne Ca admitted, "but... do you recall Fukase's tenure as Game Master? He had a... pattern going on with his mission messages. And when you sent the mission to have him erased... it was obvious at a glance that it hadn't been Fukase's message."

"That is because he was unwilling to issue his own erasure," Songman observed. "As are most Game Masters. If you accept the consequences, you are absolutely willing to send the mission of your own volition." He smiled briefly. "And if that is the case, I will grant your request. You will be Game Master for the next Game."

Calne Ca bowed politely. "Thank you, Conductor. I swear to do my best to erase the Players entire."

"In the meantime," Songman proclaimed, "the current Game continues - and you must serve as a Harrier to prove you are deserving of the task that follows."

"And so I shall."

* * *

"Get away, get away, get away, get away, get away!"

Calne Ca turned; she had been lying in wait at Ashes Square, anticipating the Players to arrive on their way to the Silent Beat concert venue - but she was in no way prepared for someone to be coming her way _from_ Silent Beat. Two Players dashed out, pursued by a flock of raven Noise; she barely had the time to register that she was in their path before one of them swung his hand at her, striking her across the jaw and leaving her stumbling to the ground with a yell of "Move it you-!"

Her wings hit the ground as he and his partner turned to face their opponents out in the open - and the metallic ringing of them drew their attention.

"Wait, what was-?"

Two more Reapers charged out of the alleyway - a purple-haired figure brandishing a katana that sung in the air, and a green-haired figure with a pair of silver goggles upon her forehead. They stumbled to a stop as Calne Ca started to rise, mouth hanging open.

The Players paled. "Reaper!"

"Did they strike you?" asked the swordsman.

"Uh-huh," Calne Ca confirmed, managing to get to her feet.

The greenette scoffed, snapping her fingers - and the Noise vanished. "Self-defense clause," she mused. "They're all yours."

Calne Ca turned to the Players, who raised their hands. "No, no, wait! I didn't know you were a Reaper!"

"That is irrelevant," the swordsman proclaimed as Calne Ca raised her left hand. "You attacked a Reaper. She is thus permit to attack you herself."

Light welled in her palm.

"Pity the fool," the greenette mused.

A beam of light surged forward, ripping through one Player and throwing him across the Plaza; he vanished in mid-flight, halfway to colliding with a wall near the start of I_O Walk. Calne Ca lowered her hand, and a massive blade appeared in her grip; the remaining Player glanced around in terror, decided to go for broke, and charged towards her.

As soon as he was within the arc of her swing, she moved her blade, and the edge cleaved through him in one swing.

Once the weapon faded, Calne Ca reached for her jaw; with a rough movement, it surged back into place, and she opened and closed her mouth a few times to make sure it was working. "Why do they always go for my face?" she muttered. "That's the fifth time I've had that dislocated. If I wasn't a Reaper, I'd be giving a doctor nightmares."

"Be happy it's just dislocations," the greenette argued, drawing her attention. "Broken bones don't fix so easy." She fell quiet for a moment, looking over her prosthetics before turning back to her face. "It was 'Ca', right?"

"Calne Ca," she corrected. "One name. Naka Gumi, wasn't it?" She turned to the purple-haired swordsman. "And you were... Kamui Gakupo?"

Gakupo nodded. "Forgive us for leading you into that situation," he pleaded.

"Not your fault," Calne Ca insisted. "You chased them straight through Silent Beat, didn't you?"

"Our Noise did," Gumi confirmed. "There were four of them when they left Cybernation; the other two must have gone into the venue for the mission objective."

Calne Ca nodded. "Leave them, then. If we try and attack them while they're dealing with that one, we're as like to make the Noise's job harder as the Players'."

"Very well," Gakupo conceded.

Gumi hummed, turning to Calne Ca. "So, Kokone says you're lined up to be Game Master in the next Game."

"Course she does."

"Does that mean the next Game is set to begin concurrently?" Gakupo inquired.

"I don't know," Calne Ca admitted. "I only asked to be Game Master because I saw a few of the Players before they died. The way they were acting is not something I want to return to life. I'll be at ease if I can see to their erasure myself."

Gumi sighed. "I certainly _hope_ it doesn't start right after this one," she sighed. "Two Games in two weeks is a lot more taxing."

"You're not wrong," Gakupo agreed.

"Yeah," Calne Ca agreed. "It'll be better to be able to rest."

"Any particular plans you want to share?" Gumi asked.

Calne Ca narrowed her gaze. She remembered how Zaha had acted during his time as Player - his refusal to even entertain the idea of forming a pact.

"...Could you pass word to Support to be set up around 39 on Day 1?" she requested. "I'm gonna have pact requirement to complete the first mission."

"Is that meant to achieve something?" Gakupo asked.

"It is with this lot."

**Justice  
** **Chapter Closed**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Miku is treated as Watsonian creator of Bacterial Contamination for the purposes of the story. Copyright for the song goes to Doylist creators Deino and Kanimiso-P.


	22. Game Master: Day 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> If you feel there's something missing in these next few chapters, I promise I'll make it up to you later on.

_Mission begins in ten minutes. Support, in position?_

Calne Ca sent out the group-text, lowering her phone as she looked over DIVA from atop the 39 Building. Her Game hadn't begun _concurrently_ with the last, but Zaha's underlings were the only ones to have died in Diola over the following week; Cyber Diva's verdict (according to Songman) had been that, if the erasure of the Apostles was Calne Ca's desire, she would **only** get the erasure of the Apostles.

But at a cost - for asking the position of Game Master over a personal vendetta, she would not be rewarded with an officer position if she should succeed.

Her phone started to ring with notifications in rapid succession; as she raised it, she found messages from Support offering confirmation.  
_Oliver - Snowdust Street sealed.  
Utatane Piko - 39 is insulated from Parallel Circuit  
IA - I_O Walk is walled off.  
__Kuma Rana - Lock on Amaretto!  
Exi Mayu - No one's getting in from Aqua Street <3  
Oliver - Hey, that was alliterate._

Calne Ca giggled at Oliver's second message, tapping out another group-text in response to the reports. _Well done. Confirm the pacts with fights against pig Noise. I don't care if they take them out, but make them all show their psychs._

She was not so foolish as to take at face value the (relayed) word of a Composer who never showed herself to the Players - between the reports in the Dead God's Pad and the theories of her seniors, she knew full well why she wouldn't be receiving an officer position as a reward. The Reapers who had asked to be promoted to officer, rather than being offered the promotion from above, had all been tasked with their roles as Game Master - and no one had earned their promotion. The final mission was to erase the Game Master, and neither facing all the surviving Players head-on nor attempting to run out the clock had ever been successful.

The position of Game Master was a sentence to death in DIVA. Not an honour - a burden.

But this Game Master didn't care. Cyber Diva's justification was sound; she had asked for the role out of a personal vendetta. The Apostles had broken Chiyuki Shiie for no other reason than because they could - and she intended to deliver retribution upon them. The position of officer was of no significance to her; she was happy for merely the chance to erase those who had wronged her or be erased trying.

"Black Rock Shooter... Just you watch."

* * *

Nafe dashed into Silent Beat Alleyway, taking refuge behind a dumpster (which for whatever reason seemed to be lacking lids) as she tried to catch her breath. The Noise were worrying enough, but the only other Players she had seen so far were Mii, Lilio, and Shizu. She hadn't stuck around long enough to be seen in return; as much as she dreaded the idea of being 'erased', she didn't want to face any more torture at the hands of the other-

"Hey, you alright?"

A scream emerged from Nafe as she turned towards the voice; Mazuma was standing in front of her, gaze upon her. As she started to pull away, however, she realized there was an expression of concern on his face, and he quickly offered his hand to her. "Please, make a pact with me."

"What?" Nafe exclaimed.

"You're a Player, right?" Mazuma asked. "The Noise are on my tail. I'm unarmed. I need a partner in order to fight"

"Wh...?" Looking past him, Nafe could indeed see several froglike Noise hopping forward; as much as she didn't understand his lack of recognition, she decided to count her blessings. "F-Fine... I accept..."

A blue light ripped up around them, and Mazuma recoiled in surprise; once it faded, he reached into his pocket, drawing something out. It was a pin, of the same size and shape as their Player Pins, but with a different design. After an uncertain moment, he closed his fist around it and raised it towards the frogs.

And a _stream_ of crimson flame surged from his fist, flooding the alleyway ahead of him.

When it faded, the frogs were gone.

With a sigh, Mazuma turned to her. "Nice timing," he groaned. "Wish I'd run into you just a few seconds sooner. I'm Mazuma."

"Y-Yeah," Nafe murmured, getting to her feet. "I knew that part."

"Huh?" Mazuma shook his head. "Anyways, come on. We've got to get to 39."

* * *

"Behind you!"

Lilio's slow paces down Amaretto were halted by the yell of warning; he turned to face his opponents too late to avoid the spray of bubbles that emerged. One burst against his chest, throwing him back and leaving him sprawled across the pavement; Mii cursed, doubling her pace to get close to him before the Noise could; as she arrived, she was concerned to find Lilio making no effort to rise.

"Get up, Lilio!" Mii pleaded. "You have to get up!"

"Mii?" There was confusion on Lilio's expression before he let his head fall back. "There's no point..."

"Don't just lie there and wait to die!" Mii insisted. "Come on, make a pact with me! We can deal with a couple of amphibians!"

Lilio closed his eyes. "...Fine. If that's what _you_ want."

With a rush of blue light, Mii's sense of defenselessness vanished. She glanced at her palm, where she was holding a pin that - according to the Reapers - she could use to defend herself; with a scoff, she turned to the Noise and swung her hand forward.

A purple line trailed behind her motion; then her hand stopped moving, and that line _expanded_ , elongating as it travelled forward such that it followed the arc it had to start. Mii watched with amazement as it extended like a shockwave of some sort; as it passed through the Noise, they recoiled at its blow. A smirk rose on Mii's face, and she swung her hand again; the first shockwave vanished as soon as she started to trace the second line, and once it terminated it surged forward again. The second one was enough to eliminate the Noise, and with a smile, she turned to face Lilio.

He was still lying on the ground, unmoving.

Mii's mouth fell open, and she glanced around the street for a moment before stepping up to him and kicking him in the sole of the boot. "Come on, Lilio," she insisted. "We need to get going."

"Get going to where, exactly?" Lilio muttered. "What's the point?"

"What's the-?" Mii groaned. "Look, I don't know why _you_ suddenly don't care, but _I_ **do**. I'm gonna do these missions as best as I damn well can, alright? And that means _dragging_ you with me if I have to."

With a sigh, Lilio started to right himself. "Alright, then."

* * *

"Karli, this way..."

At Shizu's call, Karli started to step after her, his paces weak and unsteady. When they had woken up next to each other, Shizu had been terrified to discover that he was _still blind_ \- what had happened at the Garden of the White Knight had lasted through his death, and now he was blind as they were forced to partake in this 'Reaper's Game'. Furthermore, he had lashed out without thinking before he'd recognized her voice, and his blow that had connected with her did not have anywhere near the strength it should have; Shizu was leading him by the sound of her voice from all of one meter away, desperate to not have him separate from her.

As they started towards the 39 Building, they found a young body sitting before the plaza - a boy dressed in a uniform coat of some sort, over a white shirt and shorts, with a sailor's cap upon his head. He wore no shoes, but his left foot was bandaged around the heel and up past his ankle; as the two of them got close, he raised his gaze, revealing facial bandages around his right eye.

"Oh, hey. Players, right?" He moved his hands, and something appeared between him and 39 - a barrier of translucent hexagons, only visible when contact was made. He seemed to use the barrier to support himself as he stood up; once he was steady on his feet, a pair of skeletal black wings extended from behind his back. "You'll be wanting into the plaza."

"You're... a Reaper!" Shizu exclaimed.

The boy nodded. "Yeah. But I'm not here to fight. I'm just a gatekeeper - if you want in, I'll give you conditions to enter."

Karli grunted, cocking his head as though listening for sounds of danger; Shizu glanced at him before turning to the Reaper. "...Will it hurt?"

"Not you," Reaper assured him. "But you're gonna have to fight Noise and show me your psychs work."

Shizu bit her lip briefly in hesitation. "...Alright, fine."

The Reaper smiled. "Excellent. In that case..."

He raised his hand with one finger extended, as though inviting a bird to perch upon it - and a bird's call did indeed sound from near him. A strange sigil appeared between him and the Players - one that looked vaguely like a stylized green pig - and to Shizu's surprise, a pale pink pig did in fact emerge from it. Waved lines replaced its ears and tail, their having no substance; as she regarded it for a moment, it oinked at her, and then started to walk away.

"Wait, don't you run!"

She started to charge after it, making to swing her hand - and a blade of orange, the length of her legs, extended from her hand. The Reaper ducked as she made to swing it, although it wasn't quite long enough to reach him from where he was; it earned a squeal when she swept across the pig's surface, and the weapon remained in her hand as she tried to keep pace with it, vanishing when she brought her weapon down on it.

Shizu panted for a moment, surprised, as her blade faded out, then she turned to the Reaper, who looked surprised. "Does... does that count?"

"...Depends," the Reaper admitted. "I mean, your psych works, so I know you've got a pact. But..." He aimed a finger at Karli. "He hasn't used his psych yet. You wanna make sure what it is against a pig, or risk finding out it's worthless against something like a drake?"

* * *

Calne Ca was most concerned when three of the walls around 39 were cleared; she watched, her gaze on the plaza, as all of the Apostles stepped into the area. With a scoff, she raised her gaze to the cloudy skies above; then she closed her eyes, and let her body fall forward.

In life, or as a Player - or even as a new Reaper unaccustomed to her powers - such an action as leaping from the heart of DIVA would have been suicide, unable to be revoked and unable to be saved from. But years with her wings - and the acquisition of the smallest wings short of the Conductor - had taught her just what she was capable of; and though she was content to brandish the same psychs as a Reaper that she had fought with and alongside as a Player, that did not mean she was ignorant or unpracticed with what else she had to offer.

As she descended down the fore of 39, she heard the Apostles speaking.

"What are you doing here?" Shizu.

"Don't you look at me!" Mazuma.

"We're all in this?" Mii.

"Don't see what difference it makes." Lilio.

A low growl that must have been Karli.

And then a scream, as she descended from the fourth floor; Calne Ca opened her eyes, and her fall started to slow as her prosthetic legs swung forward. She turned over, such that her feet were below her as she passed the second floor; by the time she had reached the first, she was moving slowly enough that her landing gave her little more than a jolt as she hunched down, setting her prosthetic hand against the pavement to stabilize herself before getting to her feet.

She raised her gaze towards the Apostles as she rose, her scarred hand brushing the hair out of her blind eye as she regarded them. Lilio's once-furious gaze looked almost apathetic; Mii, Shizu, and Mazuma were all gradually donning expressions of fury as they regarded her; Karli didn't seem to be looking at her at _all_ , although he was turned in her general direction, as though she were invisible to him.

"Colour me surprised," she confessed - and Karli's focus snapped to her. "You all made it."

"Weren't..." Lilio narrowed his gaze. "You were at the Garden of the White Knight."

"Yes," the Game Master confirmed. "My name is Calne Ca."

"You!" Mii stomped forward. "What did you do to us!?"

Calne Ca shook her head. "Nothing," she proclaimed. "You did this to yourselves - to each other."

"You expect us to believe that?" Mazuma demanded.

"You committed foul actions, wanted to deny the consequences, and struck each other down in your attempts to avoid them," Calne Ca proclaimed. "And now you pay the price. In the Reaper's Game, with your Souls laid bare."

Shizu scoffed. "You did that," she snapped. "You brought us here on purpose - to play your Game!"

"All I did was defend myself, and without landing a blow what's more," Calne Ca proclaimed. "And I have no purview over the rules Reaper's Game - only the tasks that must be accomplished to complete it. You can continue to war over what cannot be changed, refusing to blame yourselves, acting only on your personal, selfish interests, and be erased for the trouble, your scourge culled from this world."

The Apostles traded concerned glances with one another.

"Or you can cooperate - complete the tasks you are given, and prove yourselves to be capable of benevolence. That you are no longer horrible people who bring suffering to others for no other reason than the fact that they can. And you will be deemed deserving of a second chance at life." The Game Master shook her head. "The choice is yours - entirely."

She made to turn away... but someone stepped forward from behind Karli. Calne Ca was caught off-guard when she realized Nafe was standing there, looking concerned. "And... what do the tasks entail?"

 _What?_ Terror filled Calne Ca's mind as she realized what she had failed to account for. _She's... a Player. How did I-?_

"What are you going to make us do?" Nafe asked. "What do we have to do in order to get our second chance?"

Calne Ca closed her eyes. "...Cooperation with one another. Refusal to hold someone in contempt for something they could not control. And an unwillingness to bring harm to those guilty of nothing but being there. That is all I ask of you."

Then her eyes opened, and she glared at the other Apostles. "Because the lot of _you_ have proven to be incapable of such."

**Stagnant Souls  
** **Chapter Closed**


	23. Game Master: Day 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> On one hand, I don't really see a need to prolong this story beyond not making a chapter arbitrarily long. One the other hand, it would be nice to have a Vocaloid story be exactly 39 chapters, if I can. I'm conflicted.

"Regretting your decision, yet?"

Calne Ca shook her head at the accusation from behind. "Please, not now, Kokone."

"You knew this was going to happen, Ca," Kokone reprimanded. "You watched them kill her, and then you made them kill each other. You knew they would end up as Players in the same Game."

"I thought there would be more," Calne Ca insisted. "That she would be able to find another partner. But Cyber Diva decided the only Players I would get to erase would be those six." She shook her head. "And then I forgot about her - until the Game started."

Kokone couldn't believe her ears. "You _forgot_ about her?" she demanded. "How could you _forget!?_ Wasn't **she** the reason you killed them in the first place!? Didn't you bring them here because of her!?"

"I brought them here because of **me!** "

Calne Ca's retort as she turned around caught Kokone by surprised. "They _did this_ ," she growled, sweeping her scarred arm down over her body. "I _saw_ them, for all of an instant, and they decided I should die. But they **toyed** with me first, which meant I had these long enough that they were part of me when I died." She shook her head. "I tried to tell them I wasn't a threat. They told me to prove it, and when I asked how I could prove what I was **going** to do, they _laughed_ , and they _broke me_. I haven't slept without seeing them standing around me as I desperately tried to stop them from ruining me."

She closed her eyes. "...Including her."

Kokone blinked. "What?"

"She was there," Calne Ca insisted. "When they broke me. She tried to stop them, but they cast aside her concerns. When they ran, she ran with them." Her gaze lifted back to Kokone. "If you have nightmares about the same people, every night, without end, can you remember who had what role? Do you plainly remember the differences between everyone who was involved with your suffering? She was innocent, but she was _there_ \- and I let that cloud my judgement."

She turned away. "And Cyber Diva knew that."

* * *

When Nafe woke up, she was lying in Cybernation Plaza; Mazuma was still asleep at her side, and Nafe quickly got to her feet, moving away a few steps.

 _Why doesn't he remember me?_ Her gaze fell as she remembered the gathering at 39 yesterday. _Do **any** of them remember me? They didn't seem to have a problem with me. Mii said Lilio was supposed to be in charge if I wasn't gonna give the orders, but he didn't even react to seeing me there._ She shook her head. _Not like he was reacting to much. He looked... depressed. And Karli was acting like he was **blind**. This whole Game is weird._

Her phone went off - as it had yesterday.

 _Day II  
_ _Destination - Ashes  
Target - Bat, Jelly, Shrew  
Time limit - 2:00:00  
Cost of failure - Erasure_

"Huh?" A strike of pain hit her hand; Nafe found a timer upon her palm before turning her gaze down Silent Beat Alleyway. "Target... She wants us to defeat some Noise?"

"Is that all?" Mazuma grumbled, drawing Nafe's attention as he got to his feet. "Can't be that hard."

Nafe stepped back, pocketing her phone. "What that girl said yesterday, Calne Ca..."

"Tell me you're not seriously going to take her words at face value," Mazuma retorted. "She's the one who killed us five."

"She's not asking for something hard," Nafe insisted. "All we gotta do is work together, and she'll be fine with it."

Mazuma huffed. "Good luck with that," he mused, starting towards Silent Beat.

Nafe followed him with her gaze, incredulous. "What do you mean, _good luck with that_?" she demanded. "You think it's wrong to work together?"

"If we're all split up from each other," Mazuma insisted, "it's first-come, first-serve. And if Mii or Shizu gets pissed at me because I got there first, then they can go-"

He collided with something at the entrance to the alleyway - a barrier, of the same sort as they had needed clear to get to 39 yesterday.

"Okay, ow."

* * *

"Lilio, would you get up!"

Mii and Lilio had started in the plaza surrounding 39 - and Lilio was showing an aggravating amount of disinterest in getting the mission done. He was currently curled up in the shadow of 39 (in a place where the shadow would cover him the whole two hours, if they had that long), and Mii's attempts to convince him to move had borne no fruit.

With a groan of fury, Mii drove a sharp kick into his boot. The angle of his leg meant that she ended up knocking his knee into his face, leaving him recoiling; he banged his head against the wall of 39, and he uncurled from his fetal position as he reached a hand to the back of his head. "Ow."

"What is wrong with you?" Mii demanded. "We've gotta do this stupid 'mission' or that bitch from the Garden is gonna trash us all!"

"She's gonna trash us anyways," Lilio muttered, letting his gaze fall again. "She's the whole reason we're dead. You really think she's gonna let us go because we do what she says?"

Mii loosed an impatient breath between clenched teeth, trying to think of a way to change his mind. After a long moment, she reached for the ridge of her top, pulling at it slightly. "We got two hours, right?" she mused. "If we get the job done fast, maybe we can at least have some fun before she conks us out."

Lilio didn't even raise his gaze to see what she was doing. "What sort of fun could we have if we're already dead?"

Her grip faltered on her top as her mouth fell open in incredulity. "Wh-" With a groan, she shook her head. "You know, what, fine. If you're gonna be like that, I'll do this stupid mission myself." She stormed out of the plaza, and didn't even hear Lilio calling after her to wait before she reached I_O Walk with intention to follow the mission objective to Ashes Square.

"You know that's not going to work, right?"

Mii turned at the voice; standing across I_O Walk was the Reaper who had descended from 39 the previous day - Calne Ca. With a curse, she braced her hands before her, ready to defend if she should try to attack. "What do you want?"

Calne Ca shook her head. "You're running off without your partner. I did tell you to cooperate with each other, didn't I. Without your partner, your pins won't work."

"I have a partner," Mii retorted.

"You have a _pact_ ," Calne Ca corrected. "That just means the ambient Noise won't attack you like they did on Day 1. But if you start the fight, you won't be able to fight if your partner is too far away." She beckoned her head back towards 39. "I wouldn't leave him behind, if I were in your position."

Mii shook her head. "At this rate, I'm better off finding a weapon than trying to work with him," she retorted, starting back towards Ashes Square.

"Zaha would disagree."

Calne Ca's words had her stumbling; Mii turned back around with a gasp. "What?"

"He was your leader, wasn't he?" Calne Ca mused. "He died before I became a Reaper. When he was told he had to make a pact in order to fight, he mocked the idea and used weapons instead. Which meant the Noise continued to attack him no matter how many he struck down. He wasn't able to fight as well as a pair of Players, and so he suffered." She shook her head. "He wasn't a Player when I became a Reaper. That was his self-inflicted consequence for refusing to play by DIVA's rules. And now you want to make the same mistake? You're better off fighting with a partner who doesn't want to than with no partner at all."

She beckoned towards 39, earning a shake of Mii's head. "What did you do to Lilio?"

"I told you-"

"Not the Garden," Mii insisted. "I'm not talking about your 'not responsible for being here' bullshit. What did you do to _Lilio?_ "

Calne Ca raised an eyebrow. "Meaning what?"

"He's changed, somehow," Mii observed. "He used to be all wisecracking and bold and flirting with me. Now he's hiding from the mission like a coward, and I can't even convince him, or tempt him. What did you do?"

After a moment's contemplation, Calne Ca closed her eyes. "My superiors did that," she replied in realization. "Entering the Reaper's Game as a Player comes at a cost - whatever the Conductor and Composer deem to be of most value to the individual. And it's not a matter of belongings, either; they can take something as insubstantial as a person's memories, or their common sense."

"Then... what did they take from him?" Mii murmured. "He's not even trying to fight... he's acting like those Noise things could off him in an instant." Her gaze fell. "Unless... it's what he thinks of himself?"

Calne Ca hummed quietly. "It's definitely possible," she admitted. "Does that match up to his changes in demeanor?"

"Not trying, not thinking it's _worth_ trying, acting like there's no point to anything he does..." Mii shook her head. "But, wait, his flirting..." She turned towards 39 again. "Would that stop him from flirting with me?" Then, turning back to Calne Ca; "Is this that stupid 'too good for me' cliche? I thought that was bullshit! Why would he-"

"No," Calne Ca mused. "You said you tried to tempt him, didn't you? If they took his self-worth, it wouldn't have that effect."

Mii narrowed her gaze. "Are you sure?"

"When you desire someone, even if you think you don't deserve them, you don't pass up the opportunity to do something that might get you in their good graces," Calne Ca insisted. "If you made... an offer... to him, and he refused, then they must have taken his affections for you separately."

"Separately?" Mii demanded. "You mean they double-charged him?"

"I don't think so," Calne Ca conceded. "But what do _you_ value?"

She turned away, starting towards Rouge Square while Mii was left contemplating. After a long moment, she scoffed in dismissal, turning back to the task at hand and marching in the direction of Ashes Square.

Three paces later, she decided not to make a mistake that got _Zaha_ erased and turned back around, resigning herself to convincing Lilio to get moving.

* * *

"Karli, now!"

At Shizu's command, Karli hunched down and slammed his fists to the pavement. Orange bolts surged out around him, throwing back the jellyfish-like Noise that had surrounded him; Shizu promptly dashed forward with her broadsword in hand, striking them while they were still recoiling from that outburst. She'd made the mistake of letting them multiply once already; she wasn't about to make it again. Each Noise seemed to flash beneath her strike before vanishing, and she moved as fast as she could, hoping to finish them all off before they could multiply again.

Once the last one faded, she reached for her Player Pin, drawing in the attention of the remaining sigils floating around them. As they got close enough, they descended to the ground before the Noise manifested - rodent-looking creatures with claws, sticking out of holes that had manifested on the pavement around them.

More holes appeared as well - beneath Karli - and as the Noise retreated into them, Shizu realized they were connected. "Karli, now!"

Karli grunted, slamming his fists down again; the Noise had barely risen up before the voltage surged around him, preventing them from getting close. They retreated back into their holes and emerged further away, and Shizu quickly moved in to strike them before they could try and follow the tunnels again.

When the Noise vanished, so too did her weapon; she glanced at her palm to discover the timer had vanished.

"How did you pull that off in the time it took me to get here?"

Shizu and Karli both turned towards the voice - although Karli was unable to quite lock onto it. He knew the voice, however - and Shizu, too, only faced it to confirm what she was none too eager to see. "Mazuma," she spat.

Mazuma smirked; his partner, the girl in the hoodie, was following beside him, looking uncertain. "I must've hit that wall on Silent Beat harder than I thought I did," he observed. "All I did was walk into that and redirect down Parallel, but you two are already here with the mission done - where did you come from?"

"We started in Tengaku," Shizu observed. "A shame Karli's adapted so quickly to what you did to him - otherwise we could have met you on the way here... and made you repent _first!_ "

She swung her hand out, expecting her blade to appear in it - and it didn't.

"Yeah," Mazuma sighed as she glanced at her hand. "The pins don't work with just Players. I tried to burn down the wall, and that didn't fly. You're gonna have to use your hands if you wanna hit me for no reason."

" _No reason!?_ " Shizu demanded. "You blinded Karli!"

"That Calne Ca bitch hit me from the side and I tried to hit her back!" Mazuma corrected.

"You still-!"

The hoodie girl stepped forward. "Stop! Don't!"

Shizu glared at her. "Stay out of this."

"We're all Players," the girl insisted. "We're not gonna get anything out of it if we're all fighting each other!"

Mazuma scoffed. "This isn't about Players."

The girl shook her head. "It _is_ about Players. Remember what Calne Ca said? We have to work together - and not hate each other for something we can't change! Or we're not gonna get through this Game!"

Karli grunted.

"Yes, the mission's already over," Shizu agreed.

"That's not gonna be enough," the girl protested. "You saw her fall from the top of 39 and _survive_ it. She doesn't want us to survive if we don't do as she says, do you think it's going to be enough to do these missions if we're acting like horrible people when we're done the last one?" Then, turning to Karli; "Besides, if he's still blind, it shouldn't be because of Mazuma."

Shizu blinked. "What do you mean?"

"It happened right before he died, right?" the girl asked. "What about whatever actually killed him? What about how _you_ guys died? You don't still have any of those wounds, do you?"

Mazuma reached for his chest.

"So if his eyes were attacked right before he died, he wouldn't have those ones, either," the girl observed. "Maybe the Reapers did something to him. And maybe he'll be fine if we get a chance to get returned to life."

"What do you mean _if_ we get a chance?" Mazuma demanded.

The girl turned to him. "Like I said - Calne Ca doesn't want us to survive if we don't do as she says. So if we give each other trouble just because we're there, she's going to hurt us. Do you _want_ to be erased?"

The Apostles around her traded glances.

"Because if you make her angry, you _might_ be."

**Offered Redemption  
** **Chapter Closed**


	24. Game Master: Day 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Waiting for a weekly webcomic to update is one thing. Having a weekly webcomic go a few weeks without an update... is another. Especially when you just discovered that particular webcomic. At least her social media is updating frequently enough that I know it's not because the creator's dead.

"If you want them erased so badly, why are you being so casual around them?"

Chika had found Calne Ca stepping out of Gold Transistor only fifteen minutes before the mission started; at her question, the Game Master only shook her head. "Because I want them to prove me wrong," she insisted.

"Meaning what?" Chika asked.

"I want them erased because they're terrible people," Calne Ca insisted. "Because the years since Zaha died don't seem to have done anything to change them. If they can prove me wrong, if they can prove they can be _better_ , I want them to." She shook her head. "But I need to see that myself before I can be sure."

Chika set a hand on her hip. "Isn't that the whole point of the Game?" she insisted. "To make sure people have changed if they come back to life?"

Calne Ca's gaze fell. "So they say." There was a noticeable bitterness to her tone. "But Zaha spent seven days, and didn't change until he fought a Noise he couldn't take out before it got ugly. And I don't even know whether finally realizing your life is in danger should be _called_ a change."

"And what about the innocent?" Chika demanded.

"Day 7, the Game Master can attack Players directly," Calne Ca proclaimed. "But if a Player loses their partner, and the Game ends before seven minutes pass, they survive. If I erase the rest of them, and then end the Game, she'll fine."

Chika shook her head. "The mission on the last day is to erase the Game Master," she pointed out. "How are you doing to 'end the Game' under those conditions?"

Calne Ca turned to her.

Dread set in Chika's heart. "No," she murmured. "You wouldn't-!"

"I will," Calne Ca proclaimed. "This was my mistake - asking to be Game Master, and then accepting the task when there were no Players but her and these bastards. If they can't change - if they _won't_ change - then I'll erase the lot of them, and follow suit."

She started towards 39. "It's not like I get much out of this life, anyways."

* * *

Lilio was woken by the ringing of his phone; with a dejected sigh, he sat up, finding himself in Starmine Square with Mii standing in front of him. Yesterday's (second) conversation had ended with Mii threatening to **drag** him to the mission objective if he wouldn't cooperate; half-hoping that the message would be _You get a day off_ , he drew out his phone.

 _Day III  
_ _Destination - Rouge  
Target - Popguin, Raven  
Time limit - 2:00:00  
Cost of failure - Erasure_

"Another-" Lilio gasped as the timer appeared on his hand. "Another two-hour job?"

"You gonna slack off of this one, too?" Mii demanded. "Or are you gonna make it easy on yourself?"

Lilio sighed. "I'll come with you," he conceded. "But I'm gonna stay in the back when the fight starts."

Mii seethed.

"Look at our psychs," Lilio insisted. "You got shockwaves that just keep going forward; I've got some kind of explosions that descend from above. Is it really smart to have me in front of you?"

"...Fair," Mii insisted. "But you'd better be pulling your weight this time."

"Yeah, yeah..."

* * *

"Hey, easy... easy..."

Shizu had read the mission aloud for Karli's benefit - but when Karli had started move, she was quick to calm him down. "You fought well yesterday," she praised. "I'm not going to make you fight again so soon. We'll let Mazuma handle this one."

Karli breathed a heavy sigh.

"Just relax," Shizu insisted. Then, after a moment; "I wonder if we can visit the shops or such. I'm going to step into 39 and look for a drink, alright?"

When Karli nodded to her, she stepped inside. Sure enough, her dress started getting attention; a vending machine was on the first floor, saving her the trouble of heading to the cafe on the upper floors. After perusing the selection for a moment, she quickly ordered a soda for herself and an iced tea for Karli; with the drinks in hand, she made her way back outside.

Karli had sat down against the edge of the building.

Someone else was standing next to him.

Shizu gasped. "Karli! Beside you!"

Calne Ca raised an eyebrow as Karli abruptly turned to her; she was impressed when he decided to move away, approaching Shizu until she told him to _stop there_ and then turning back around. "Better self-preservation, at least," the Game Master observed. "Mii's first reaction was to consider attacking me."

"We can't," Shizu insisted. "We can't use our psychs with just Players." Her gaze narrowed. "Or... are Reapers different?"

"Attacking a Reaper means the Reaper gets to attack you," Calne Ca warned. "But yes, Reapers are different - or at least, the Game Master is." Looking at Karli; "Still with that build, I'd assume that psychs wouldn't be a hundred percent necessary for fighting Players."

Karli growled.

"Normally, they wouldn't," Shizu agreed. "But when we woke up on Day 1, he was weaker than he should have been. And it wasn't just something about the Noise, either; he should have been able to lift the end of a dumpster one-handed, but he barely moved it."

"What is it with horrible people and dumpsters?" Calne Ca murmured.

Shizu shook her head. "Did you do something to him?" she demanded. "Mazuma's partner said you might be responsible for blinding him. Or is that what Mazuma did, and you took his strength?"

"We should really get Mew to talk about this when she introduces Players," Calne Ca observed. "It was my superiors who would have done this to him. A wound will only continue into the Reaper's Game if you've had it long enough for it to be part of you." She reached her scarred arm to the shoulder of her prosthetic as she said that. "He was blinded just before he died; that would have been healed when he was entered into the Game, same as the wounds that killed him."

"That's what Mazuma's partner thought," Shizu observed.

Calne Ca nodded. "But when you are brought to the Game, you must also pay a cost. Those who rule over the Game will take what is of most value to you." She narrowed her gaze. "Forgive me if I'm being presumptuous... but I see a resemblance that tells me you're not worried about him because he's a coworker. Siblings? Cousins?"

"...Siblings," Shizu confirmed. "Then you took his vision and his strength as some sort of 'payment' of his?"

"Not just as his," Calne Ca insisted. "What some people most value isn't about them - it's about someone else. You reacted quite poorly when Mazuma struck him."

"What use is a combatant who can't even see his opponent?" Shizu demanded. "I didn't want him to-"

She cut herself off in realization, and Calne Ca nodded. "Precisely."

She turned and started out of 39, and Shizu turned to Karli in concern.

* * *

"Mazuma, behind you!"

Nafe's warning went unheeded; Mazuma's attention was on washing the penguin-like Noise in front of him with fire, which meant the one sliding into him from behind hit him full on and left him reeling. Nafe quickly aimed her hand towards him; three flying, rabbit-eared cannons in pink, manifested from her her psych, quickly circled around him. The other penguins tried to attack him while he was down, and were struck aside by the orbiting weapons.

"I'm fine!" Mazuma protested. "Focus on attacking!"

The cannons quickly moved away from him, firing quick blasts at the nearest penguin to Mazuma; Nafe kept her eye on her surroundings as the Noise vanished, and when one of the penguins tried to rush at her, she was quick to leap away.

It didn't take long for the last of the penguins to vanish; before her cannons could follow suit, Nafe looked around with her Partner Pin, bringing the remaining Noise forward to fight them. Several avian figures emerged from the sigils she provoked - raven-esque Noise with dark blue feathers. Before her cannons were in position, one of them swooped towards Nafe; she narrowly moved aside, only for its talons to rake across her hoodie.

And pry her pin off its surface; her cannons vanished.

"Huh? No!" Nafe lunged her hand forward. "It got my pin!"

"They can do that?" Mazuma muttered.

To Nafe's concern, he didn't even try to attack the one with the pin in its claws; he focused on aiming his flames at the ravens around him. Yet all of a sudden, his aim had gotten worse, unable to keep a bead on the moving targets; one Noise made to swoop towards him as well, and his attempts to blaze it before it could strike him fell flat.

Its dive knocked him straight to the pavement - and as he landed, this raven had _his_ pin, too.

"Heads up, brat!"

Nafe turned towards Aqua Street to find Mii and Lilio dashing in; Mii quickly skidded to a halt, sweeping her hand forward, and a purple streak was traced in the air before her. As soon as her hand stopped moving, the streak started _elongating_ as it raced forward; Nafe yelped, ducking her head as the psych soared over her and slashed through the Noise - one of which had been about to dive at her.

Lilio raised his hand, and a ring of light appeared around Mazuma as he started to rise, lined with three arrows all pointed at him. He quickly realized what was happening and dove aside as Lilio brought his hand down; orbs of green light descended towards his crosshair, hitting the ground within the ring and blasting broadly enough to take out several ravens in the process. Mii unleashed another shockwave as he took aim at another close-flying flock; her blow stunned them long enough for the descending blasts to strike them before they could fly off.

The thieves were in this group; Mazuma dove towards the fallen pins as Mii loosed one more, finishing off the remainder.

As the Noise faded out, Mazuma picked up a pin; on finding it wasn't his, he tossed it over his shoulder, leaving Nafe dashing after it as he picked up the other one. "Nice going," he spat, turning to the two. "Way to steal my kills."

"Yeah, 'cause you were doing so well," Mii retorted.

Nafe managed to stop her pin under her palm as Mazuma shook his head. "I was doing fine until my pin got stolen," he snapped. "Would it have killed you to go straight for the ones that stole it?"

"Did those attacks look like I can do precision targeting?" Mii countered. Then, before he could reply; "And speaking of, you were missing by a mile."

"Not the whole time," Nafe insisted, getting to her feet as she equipped her pin to her hoodie. "He was doing fine until I told him I got my pin stolen."

"You panicked?" Lilio asked.

Mazuma scoffed. "Shut up."

Lilio shook his head. "You _never_ panic," he observed. "And when you do, something usually dies. I've never seen you miss a target out of stress. When something gets the drop on you, you go straight for the vitals."

"I know, thanks," Mazuma protested.

Mii crossed her arms. "That Calne Ca mentioned this," she recalled. "That must be what they took from you."

"Took from me?" Mazuma asked.

" _Calne Ca?_ " Lilio stepped away from Mii in concern. "You were talking to her?"

"Yeah, because you were curled up at 39 like a coward!" Mii snapped. "I couldn't use my pins with you that far away, and I wasn't about to piss her off when I couldn't fight!" She turned to Mazuma. "She said the Reapers take something from us when we enter the Game. They must've stole your accuracy."

Mazuma scoffed. "I have a _flamethrower_ ," he insisted. "That doesn't take accuracy in the first place."

"Tell that to the birds _we_ had to kill," Mii retorted.

"You **stole** my kills!" Mazuma protested.

"Because you **missed** the kills!" Mii countered.

Lilio turned. "Where's she going?"

Mazuma and Mii both turned to find his partner dashing down I_O Walk - as fast as her feet would take her. "Huh?" Mazuma crossed his arms. "Where _is_ she going?"

"Mission's done," Mii mused. "Think she's just going to grab a drink, or something?"

"I don't think so," Lilio admitted. "She looked like she was... scared. Or sad."

Mii huffed. "Partnered with this guy, I wouldn't blame her."

"Says the sadist who can't take a flirt," Mazuma countered.

"Oh, shut up, misfire!"

**Unneeded Conflict  
** **Chapter Closed**


	25. Game Master: Day 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> If my update rate is slowing down, I'm sorry. We're in the middle of a Co-op run.

"She's going to do _what?!_ "

Chika nodded. "Yeah. She said she was going to erase herself if the Apostles couldn't change."

Kokone shook her head. "But that's... _why_ would she **do** something like that?"

"Because she feels responsible," Chika insisted. "For that girl. She was offered a Game with just her and the Apostles, and she took it without thinking it through. This was her mistake, and she has to make up for it."

"She's... blaming herself?" Kokone murmured. "Because of how Cyber Diva made her Game Master?"

"Looks that way," Chika confirmed.

"But that's- Ah!"

Distracted by the information, Kokone had rounded the corner without looking and collided with someone forehead-first. Chika moved to catch her; Gumi managed to stay upright of her own volition, which might have had something to do with the goggles atop her head having been the point of impact. She and Gakupo stepped back in surprise as Kokone righted herself with a rushed "I'm so sorry..."

"Hey, it's nothing," Gumi insisted. Then, seeing their faces; "Is something going on?"

"You could say that," Chika admitted.

Gakupo crossed his arms. "Does it have something to do with the current Game?"

"Yeah," Kokone confirmed.

Calne Ca had made her intentions clear after the first day of the Game; as much as she wanted to witness the Players' erasure herself, she wasn't about to leave everyone else on standby if they didn't want it. She had issued instructions to the field Reapers at the start of each day, having the Harriers spread her Noise of choice across DIVA and tasking Support with walling off the short routes and superfluous destinations - making sure everyone would earn score during her tenure as Game Master.

Only now did anyone realize just why Calne Ca wanted everyone else to be hands-off.

* * *

Shizu and Karli woke up in Rouge Square, finding it rather quiet for the hour. After a moment, Shizu stepped up to Karli, setting a hand on him. "Do you want to fight today?" she asked quietly.

Karli gave a quiet grunt of affirmation - and as though on cue, their phones went off.

_Day IV  
Destination - Starmine  
Target - Shark  
Time limit - 2:00:00  
Cost of failure - Erasure_

"Starmine Square," Shizu observed. "Come on. Careful now; don't rush."

Careful, to compensate for his blindness, she led Karli onto Aqua Street - and as they approached Amaretto, she was surprised to find a familiar figure dashing towards Cybernation.

"That's... Mazuma's partner, isn't it?" she murmured. "Where is she going?"

* * *

As Nafe arrived at Cybernation Plaza, she glanced back down Amaretto to make sure Mazuma wasn't close behind. His distinctive red coat was nowhere to be seen; still, she wanted to minimize the chance that he'd find her, and she started towards Silent Beat.

And ran smack into a wall - just as he had on Day 2.

She was still tumbling backwards when she collided with someone - and that immediately set her to panicking, given what she knew of the Game. She stumbled upright and turned around to find Calne Ca standing there, looking at her concernedly.

"You're-!"

"Calm down," Calne Ca insisted. "I'm not going to hurt you." Glancing around the plaza; "What are you doing here? Why did you run from your partner?"

Nafe's gaze fell. "Because... none of them wanted to cooperate... and I don't want to get caught in the crossfire."

There was a moment of silence; then Calne Ca reached into her purse. Nafe was surprised when she drew out a silver tin - its lid marked with a white skull like the Player Pins and black Reaper wings. She opened it and selected a black pin before reaching forward and setting it against the wall; all of a sudden, the barrier vanished, and she pulled her hand back. "Let's rest a bit," she insisted.

Concerned, Nafe started into the alleyway; Calne Ca followed suit, then knelt down and dragged her Pin across the ground where the wall had been. Hexagons shimmered in the air briefly again as the wall reappeared, and the Reaper put the pin back into her case and approached Nafe.

The Player raised a hand in defense.

"...I just want to talk," Calne Ca insisted.

"Then why did you lock this place again?" Nafe asked.

"Because I thought you wanted to hide," Calne Ca insisted.

Nafe's distrust must have been obvious on her face; after a moment, Calne Ca opened the tin again and drew out the pin she had used. Closing the tin once more, she held it out towards the Player. "Here," she insisted. "This is the keypin that opens that wall. If you don't trust me, then hold onto it."

Uncertain, Nafe accepted the pin, looking at it as Calne Ca set the tin back into her purse. It looked kind of like a Player Pin, with the same stylized white skull - but the bottom point of the skull extended down like the shaft of a key, with gaps in the edges of its length. With a deep breath, she pocketed the pin and started a bit further into the alleyway, taking a seat on the wall opposite the concert venue.

Calne Ca stepped up to her again, drawing out something else from her purse - a couple cans of soda. "A drink?" she offered.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Nafe asked, accepting the can nonetheless. "You're a Reaper."

Said Reaper made to sit down beside her, though at a respectful distance - and now that she was paying attention, Nafe could see the obvious prosthesis of her legs. "Being a Reaper doesn't mean I have to be terrible," Calne Ca insisted. "You're one of them, but you didn't have any part in their cruelty." She set her own can down against the pavement, bracing it as she cracked it open with her left hand; the reason became clear when she picked it back up and held it between her hands, revealing her right arm was also prosthetic with smooth fingertips.

Nafe turned to her drink. "Why don't they remember me?" she asked. "Mazuma and all the others... They act like they don't remember me. But they _killed_ me."

"Playing the Reaper's Game comes at a cost," Calne Ca informed her. "My superiors take what they deem to be of value to each Player as their entry fee."

"You mean... they value _killing me?_ " Nafe murmured.

"No," Calne Ca admitted. "They've all lost something else, and a Player is only charged once." She turned to Nafe. "But it terrifies you, doesn't it? Knowing they killed you, knowing they'd do it again, and not knowing when or whether they'll act on it."

The Player turned back to her drink. "Y-Yeah..."

Calne Ca glanced at her. "How did you come to be working with them?"

"My house burned down," Nafe admitted. "My parents died in the fire. I'd run out earlier, angry at them; then I came back, saw the flames, and ran off again. The next thing I knew, I was lost in the alleys of Diola. Tired. Hungry. Cold." She closed her eyes. "A man named Zaha found me. He gave me a bed to sleep in, and meals over the course of a year. And just when I thought I was fine... he told me I owed him."

"What?"

Nafe nodded. "He brought me to his gang. I was their newest member, a little girl no one was going to pay attention to. I could learn things that everyone else could use to their advantage." She shook her head. "Then Zaha got killed in 39, and I got there fast enough to get his video will - and it said I was in charge. So I tried to stop things... and they killed me over it."

"That's... terrible," Calne Ca murmured.

"What are you going to do?" Nafe demanded, turning to her. "You said everyone had to cooperate to get a second chance - but none of them _want_ to cooperate. They're getting mad at each other over accidents, and trying to attack each other just because they're in the way. What are you going to do to us?"

Calne Ca shook her head. "To _them_ ," she insisted.

"Huh?"

"The Reaper's Game is meant to change people," Calne Ca insisted. "Those who die are judged over the seven days, and when the Game ends, they stand before the Conductor, who carries out the Composer's will. Only those who have shown themselves willing to contribute to the world around them earn a second chance. If they can prove that they're willing to be better, they'll get a second chance. If they can't, I'll erase them myself - on the seventh day, when I'm allowed to attack them directly."

Nafe didn't understand. "But... what about me?"

"You're innocent," Calne Ca proclaimed. "Forced into this, and desperate to survive. Killed for no reason but an unwillingness to be cruel. I promise, _you_ will advance to receive the Composer's judgement."

She got to her feet, stepping into the concert venue.

"Black Rock Shooter... You're not alone."

* * *

"Hold still, you bastard fish!"

Mii and Lilio had learned very quickly that the shark in Starmine Square was _very_ fast - and very adept at avoidance. The delay of Lilio's descending blasts made them next to useless against a moving target, and hitting it with Mii's expanding swings was difficult when it dove into the pavement before trying to lunge out at them. When it had first appeared, it had been with several other Noise, all of which had been defeated easily; defeating their _target_ , however, was another matter.

It dove into the pavement beneath another one of Mii's swings; ripples appeared beneath Lilio, and he leapt aside with a yelp before it lunged out at him. As it hit the water again, two bright figures charged in - Karli and Shizu. "You two?"

"Stop here, Karli," Shizu warned; the brute halted as a respectable blade appeared in Shizu's grip. "This the only target?"

"Yeah, because it's proving so easy at that!" Mii retorted.

The shark's fin vanished once again; ripples appeared around Karli, and Shizu noticed, yelling "Now!"

Karli slammed his fists into the pavement as the shark started to lunge out behind him - and a surge of voltage ripped up around him, causing the Noise to recoil. Shizu quickly dove forward, slashing it with her blade before it could retreat into the pavement again; when its dorsal fin appeared, she dashed up to it, striking it again and causing it to twist around towards Karli again.

One more surge was all it took; the shark vanished under the blow, leaving the four of them alone in the square.

"...That's one."

Shizu turned to Mii as her weapon vanished. "What?" She glanced at her hand, finding it bare. "Timer's gone," she observed, "it was _only_ the one."

"Yeah," Lilio observed, "but it came with, like four more, and we took those out." His gaze narrowed. "Well, we took out three of them. I think it ate one."

"Plus yesterday's," Mii added, "there were like, ten ravens. Mazuma and the brat didn't get any of those ones. That puts _us_ at thirteen kills. I think Mazuma's only got, like, five penguins."

"Well, the day before that had ten bats, three jellyfish that _multiplied_ , and four moles," Shizu argued, "so that puts **us** as _twenty_ kills."

Karli grunted.

"And the shark makes twenty-one," Shizu amended.

Mii hummed in amusement. "That's a challenge, is it?" she observed.

Shizu raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Think you're going to catch up?"

"Against you and blind brother over here?" Mii argued. "Definitely."

"Big words from someone working with a coward," Shizu countered.

"A coward I can coerce," Mii retorted.

"And a blind brother I can guide into taking out a shark you couldn't," Shizu returned.

Lilio raised a hand. "Um, maybe let's just let the results speak for us on Day 7 instead of-"

"Shut up, Lilio," Mii snapped.

"Shutting up, sorry."

**Undeserved Pride  
** **Chapter Closed**


	26. Game Master: Day 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Advantages to taking screenshots on the Switch compared to the PS4:  
> -pressing the button captures a screenshot instantly  
> -capture popup does not appear in screenshots captured while popup is on screen  
> -ability to take rapid screenshots in succession  
> Disadvantages to taking screenshots on the Switch compared to the PS4:  
> -cannot port screenshots to memory device; requires social media account
> 
> [UPDATE:] As of the version 11.0.0 update, you can now port screenshots directly to your computer. Disadvantage negated.

"How did you manage to wall yourself in Silent Beat?"

Calne Ca turned very red at Gumi's inquiry. "Did Oliver tell _everyone_?"

Gumi giggled. "I don't even see how you _could_ have done that," she admitted. "I thought you had a full set of keypins and Noise pins."

"I went back there to relax for a bit and lost my L1 in the venue," Calne Ca defended. "By the time I was on my way out, the mission had already ended, and it was easier to just wait for Support to bring the walls down for the day than it was to go searching for it." She shook her head. "Let's just hope I don't make the same mistake at the start of Day 7."

A sigh from Gumi. "Look, about that... Kokone and Chika told us about-"

"I don't want to hear it." Calne Ca's disposition had changed very abruptly.

"Don't tell me you think this is your fault," Gumi protested. "The Composer set you up, and you know it."

"All she did was offer me what I asked for," Calne Ca insisted. "I accepted it without making sure it was what I wanted."

Gumi shook her head. "But still-"

"Enough, Naka," Calne Ca interrupted, turning away. "My mind is made up."

* * *

"Morning, Lilio."

Mii's sarcastic comment as Lilio opened his eyes to Ashes Square earned a tired groan; he sat upright, shaking his head. "Morning," he grumbled. "Have we got a mission yet?"

As though on cue, their phones went off, answering his question.

_Day V  
Destination - Tengaku  
Target - Fox  
Time limit - 2:00:00  
Cost of failure - Erasure_

"Foxes, huh?" Mii mused. "How many tails?"

"You _want_ it to have more than one?" Lilio asked.

"I do if Shizu gets there first," Mii countered, pocketing her phone. "So, let's get going."

* * *

"The kid's gone off again..."

Mazuma had most displeased when he woke up and found his partner gone, for the second day in a row. Days 2 and 3, they'd woken up in Cybernation; 4 and now 5 had started in 39. As he stepped out onto Aqua Street, he glanced at his phone again. "Ashes, Rouge, Starmine, Tengaku..." Mazuma shook his head. "Day 6 is gonna be Cybernation, isn't it."

"Not like I was trying to be secretive about it."

The voice from nearby drew Mazuma's gaze; he quickly stepped back as he realized Calne Ca was standing not ten paces away. "You...!"

Calne Ca smirked. "You're not attacking," she observed.

"My partner's gone," Mazuma explained. "And Mii told us we can't fight without a partner - but you can. Did you off her?"

"No," Calne Ca replied. "If I'd erased her, you'd have followed suit by now. But she doesn't want to take part in this Game anymore - and you have no business trying to force her."

"You expect me to take orders from a kid?" Mazuma countered.

"I expect you to respect the wishes of your partner," Calne Ca replied. "An unwillingness to do so is indicative of a selfish heart."

Mazuma shook his head. "What about your whole 'cost of failure is erasure' thing?"

"That only applies if _none_ of the Players achieve the objective," Calne Ca insisted. "If anyone completes it, then all the Players are safe. And there are still two other parties completing the mission even as we speak."

"Shizu, Karli, Lilio, and Mii," Mazuma observed. "The kid running off means they get the credit."

Calne Ca sighed. "To cooperate, respect each other, and not harm each other. That's all I ask of you lot. Why do you act like such expectations are unreasonable?"

Mazuma scoffed. "Let's do a headcount," he retorted. "There's the brute who's so much muscle he can't even talk, his sister who is the only one who can convince him to do anything, the guy who thinks he's above everyone else and flirts with a sadist, who herself would rather do it fun than do it fast."

"And what makes you any better than them?" Calne Ca argued.

"You got a gun?" Mazuma insisted. "Pain Crave Bridge open for the Reaper's Game? How far do they let you go? You stand at the far end, I'll stand in Rouge, and shoot your head off."

The Game Master shook her head. "So you're saying you're better than your compatriots because your personal brand of cruelty is more versatile?"

She started to walk away. "You're all the same - and all just as horrible as when you started."

* * *

"And down!"

Shizu and Karli stepped into Tengaku Square to find Mii and Lilio already fighting a white fox Noise - with several golden tails rising behind it. Shzu warned Karli back as Lilio's blasts descended on the fox; Mii quickly swung another edge, which quickly lashed forward; Shizu could have sworn she saw another tail appear on the fox before the attack eliminated it.

After a long moment, the two of them noticed the approaching siblings; Shizu instructed Karli to follow her forward as she approached. "How many foxes was that?" she inquired.

"Only three of them," Mii argued, "but each one had a different tail count. And they were calling in backup, so..."

"Different tail count?" Shizu asked, both to try and distract her tally and out of genuine curiosity. "Are you sure? I saw it grow another one right before you killed it."

Lilio nodded. "Yeah, the first one grew three, then started over from one after a round of backup showed up. The second one grew six, same thing. I think that thing was on seven?"

"Seven before I swung," Mii insisted. Aiming a finger at Shizu; "So if it grew another one right before, that makes eight tails." She raised her fingers as she counted. "The first one called in a penguin and a snake, the second one had a kangaroo and a jellyfish, and that one had a frog, a raven, and a wolf come in. Plus the three foxes, that makes ten in this batch; add that to yesterday's count, and we got twenty-three total kills to _your_ twenty-one."

"Still two days to go," Shizu argued.

Mii smirked. "Don't count on it. Mazuma might still be in on this."

"Mazuma's not gonna be that lucky."

The voice from Aqua Street drew everyone's attention as a red-coated figure stepped in. "The kid keeps running off on me. If we're keeping score, all I've got is the fifteen penguins from Day 3."

"Fifteen?" Shizu echoed. "Mii said you had five."

"Mii wasn't there," Mazuma argued. "She didn't show up until the ravens got our pins."

"I saw you take down five," Mii insisted, "I was lowballing." She shook her head. "Whatever, you're still not gonna get ten kills over two days if your partner's gone."

Mazuma smirked. "Maybe not," he admitted. "But, you know, if the top competitor isn't there to claim the prize, it goes to the next one down. So..."

"Tell me you're not seriously so stupid as to think you can take _us_ down without your partner?" Mii argued.

"Can't use our pins if there's no Noise around," Mazuma pointed out. "Just down to fisticuffs."

"If you try and hurt Karli again," Shizu snapped, "I will personally drag you to Calne Ca, and make you punch her so she can claim self-defense."

"Good luck with that," Mazuma retorted. "She said if one Player gets erased, their Partner goes through the same thing."

"And you think I'm gonna let you off my partner, do you?" Mii mused.

Shizu turned to her. "So you did like it, after all."

"Piss off, Shizu," Mii snapped.

"You don't have to _let_ anything," Lilio insisted. "If we get trashed because that Reaper thinks she's better than us, that's one thing, but I'm not about to let you off me so you can claim you got more kills."

"This should be fun," Mazuma retorted. "Let's see what's waiting for us tomorrow. First crack at the GM says I'll trash it before the lot of you can get there."

Mii smirked. "Without your partner? Calne Ca said the last Player who tried to fight without a partner got trashed on his lonesome."

"If I have to _make_ my partner listen to me," Mazuma countered, "I can."

**Selfish Desires  
** **Chapter Closed**


	27. Game Master: Day 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Never played through TWEWY and checked WildKat for the pin twice. No idea if Hanekoma sells a different one if you clear your save file. My last playthrough was the first time I actually -tried- to assemble the Darklit Planets, and I got Black Venus. Which drops from Draco Cantus. Who I... can't cheap-beat with the Eden set. And who doesn't appear as a Blue Noise or during the Time Attack option.
> 
> ...I don't really know if I have what it takes to take down Draco Cantus on Ultimate at 9 levels less if it DOES change.

"So, am I correct in assuming your choice of fox Noise yesterday was somewhat... experimental?"

Calne Ca turned at Gakupo's inquiry; she had sorting through her pin box in the Otherworld's Await when he had stepped out of the elevator. "What do you mean, Kamui?"

"Well..." Gakupo kicked one foot at the barren dirt that surrounded the elevator box; this area was for the Conductor to tend to, and by all appearances he had thought Reaper territory should be accessed through badland. "Going by Chika's report, your last use of fox Noise was far more... dramatic."

"Oh, yes," Calne Ca confirmed. "She told you about Zaha? I'd set up walls expecting paired Players to clear them with timed combat against Noise. If he couldn't defeat the Noise in such time, that was the weakness of his chosen single-Player attempt."

Gakupo hummed. "And the Players yesterday successfully disposing of the foxes in the time they did..."

"Fox, singular," Calne Ca corrected. "Just the last one. But yes, they were able to strike it down before it could make use of nine tails of foxfire, and so they proved my theory sound."

"I see," Gakupo mused. "About them..."

Calne Ca shook her head. "They've proven themselves unwilling to change. Today is their last chance to show they can evolve. Tomorrow, I exact my judgement on them."

"Yes, but in regards to-"

"I'm not changing my mind, Kamui," Calne Ca protested, slamming her pin box shut. "Not from your asking, not from Naka's, not Kokone's or Chika's. I don't want to hear it."

"I only meant to improve your performance," Gakupo insisted.

His words had Calne Ca halting. "...Performance?"

Gakupo nodded. "Most Game Masters try to... exert a bit of flair on the seventh day. Intimidate the Players. I came across an interesting little... passage that I thought apropos to the Player base of your Game."

Calne Ca turned to him. "...Go on."

* * *

"Day 6..."

Nafe woke up in Rouge Square this time. Given the pattern that the week's missions had had so far, she'd wager this one would be in Cybernation Plaza; she didn't want to try her luck at being able to sneak into Silent Beat Alleyway out of reach, if that were the case.

She drew out the keypin that Calne Ca had given her - with which she had opened the wall that barred her way - and sighed. _Maybe tomorrow..._

"There you are, kid." Mazuma's muttering from behind her had her quickly closing her hand around the pin. "Why did you run off?"

"Just..." Nafe pocketed the pin she'd been given. "Long story."

Mazuma huffed. "Well, don't think you're gonna be doing it again," he retorted. "We're getting today's mission done if I have to **drag** you to Cybernation."

"You think so, too?" she asked. "That's where this mission's gonna be?"

"Well, she's done the other five places already," Mazuma observed, "I'll be disappointed if it doesn't."

He started out of Rouge confidently; Nafe ultimately decided to follow him, and the mission arrived as they stepped onto I_O Walk.

_Day VI  
Destination - Cybernation  
Target - Woolly  
Time limit - 2:00:00  
Cost of failure - Erasure_

"Called it."

* * *

"Come on, already. The sooner we get there, the more likely we are to stop Shizu from catching up."

Lilio upped his pace a little to catch back up to Mii - but he didn't see the point all the same. "It's a 'Woolly'? he observed. "Meaning, like, woolly mammoth? If they only had one shark, they're only gonna have one mammoth. She's not gonna catch up."

"Says you," retorted a voice from ahead. They had started in 39 and chosen I_O Walk as their fastest route; the intersection with Parallel Circuit, and coming from Ashes Square were Shizu and Karli. "Tomorrow might well have more than one target."

"Or it might be one target," Mii countered. "And there's only a two in six chance of you offing this thing, so you're not gonna tie it up."

Shizu scoffed, starting up Parallel Circuit. "Karli."

As the four of them reached Cybernation Plaza, however, it became apparent they weren't the first arrivals. Mazuma and his partner had already arrived, and they were indeed facing one mammoth - a massive, elephantine Noise in pink, with pale forelegs and a bladed golden trunk. The plaza was awash with Mazuma's red flames, and several floating pink cannons that must have come from his partner were soaring around, firing at the Noise from all angles.

"Holy hell!" Lilio exclaimed.

Mazuma glanced towards them. "First come, first serve!"

"Yeah, right!" Mii retorted.

She lashed her hand down diagonally, and a purple edge soared forward, expanding; Mazuma barely managed to avoid being slashed by it as Lilio raised his hand to ready his falling blasts. Shizu's blade appeared in her hand, and she gave a quick instruction of "Stay back!" to Karli before charging forward.

His evasion had brought Mazuma up close to the Noise, and it took offense to his proximity, swinging his trunk towards him. One of Nafe's cannons quickly positioned itself between him and the attack, blunting the strike but not stopping it from throwing him back; no sooner had it reached the apex of its swing than Lilio's blasts descended on it. Shizu lunged in as soon as its trunk stopped moving, swinging her blade at its head and then quickly retreating before it could swing at her; Mii promptly swung another edge, this one low to the ground, forcing Shizu and Nafe to jump over it.

Nafe ended up landing on one of her cannons - and to her surprise, it supported her.

"Wait...!"

She quickly directed the cannon to lift up, and she maneuvered in front of the mammoth, getting its attention as her artillery continued to fire at the Noise. It tried to bring its trunk up at her, but she was outside of its arc, keeping her out of danger; meanwhile, it had its attention off of the ground level, giving Shizu, Mii, and Mazuma plenty of opportunity to attack it from the grounded front while Lilio continue to rain down upon it.

Shizu was the one to finish it off; with Mii's edge still advancing, Mazuma in the aftermath of dodging the last one, and Nafe's cannons maneuvering rather than firing, she was landing the last three blows when it vanished.

Everyone's attacks did the same - Nafe barely had time to start to descend before her cannon disappeared, leaving her landing roughly against the ground.

"My kill," Shizu proclaimed. "That puts me at twenty-two."

"Laugh it up while you can," Mii snapped. "We're not gonna let you get the last one."

"And if the last one isn't just one, I'm not about to let _you_ get it, either," Mazuma retorted.

"You're not getting nine kills in one day," Shizu reprimanded.

"Tell that to the fifteen penguins we took out on day 3," Mazuma countered.

"The things get bigger and bigger every mission," Mii snapped, "that's not gonna happen again."

"And you're so confident you're gonna take it out if there's only one?" Mazuma argued. "After you didn't get this one?"

"This one had too much attack area," Mii observed.

"The shark didn't have much attack area," Shizu returned, "and you couldn't take that one out."

"Don't act like you're-"

Lilio spoke up. "Hey," he observed, "the kid's running again."

Mazuma, Mii, and Shizu all turned to see her taking off down Amaretto. "Not again with this," Mazuma muttered. "Get back here!" He started to dash after her. "You can't just keep-"

Someone else stepped into view at the edge of Cybernation Plaza - and everyone skidded to a stop.

"Calne Ca!"

Shizu cursed. "Karli!" she called.

The Reaper shook her head as the five of them assembled. "Do you intend to land the first blow?" she asked.

"Out of the way, lady," Mii retorted. "This has nothing to do with you."

"She is doing you no harm," Calne Ca observed. "What reason do you have to pursue her?"

Mazuma shook her head. "If she runs off tomorrow-"

"Then that is her choice to make," Calne Ca reprimanded. "And you have no business trying to affect her choices."

"Her choices are going to get us killed," Shizu spat.

"You act like you don't deserve it?" Calne Ca demanded. "After you quarrel with each other, attempt to harm one another, and threaten one another over a foolish competition?" She shook her head. "If you are unwilling to change, you _will_ be erased - deservedly, and inevitably."

Mii snickered. "And I suppose you've got something big lined up tomorrow to make sure it happens, huh?"

"Myself."

Calne Ca's utterance caught all the Apostles off-guard. "What?"

"On the seventh day of a Game Master's tenure," Calne Ca proclaimed, "they are permit to attack Players directly. And the Reaper's Game only ends with the Game Master's erasure, or that of all the Players. Tomorrow, you will face me. And I swear, if your Souls are still stagnant, you will be culled from this world..."

She raised her scarred hand before her.

"...no matter the cost."

**Final Warning**  
**Chapter Closed**


	28. Game Master: Day 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Bad idea: going through the entire Game with only the starter pin deck (save for some quick swaps for PP grinding) AND not eating any meals (in order to get base stats). Well, actually, just fighting Draco Cantus in such a condition was the bad idea. But good night, when your self-challenge makes things that hard on EASY, you might want to reconsider.
> 
> On a related note, it looks like no, clearing your save data does not re-roll the Darklit pin at WildKat. I mean, there's only six, I guess it's not TOTALLY improbable that I just rolled the same one twice, but my money's on no.

"Day 7..."

To Nafe's concern, she had woken up at the Flower Fight Memorial - alongside _all_ of the others. She was still the first to get up, but Lilio, at least, was showing signs of being awake without wanting to rise.

She glanced at the keypin that Calne Ca had given her. _She promised me... She said I'd survive to the Composer's judgement. But if I run... what if they choose to hunt me down, instead of going after her? If they're so insistent that I not leave them behind..._

With a sigh, she closed her hand around the pin. _...Fine. I'll go with them. See what she says to them._

Her phone went off, as did the others'; she quickly pocketed the keypin and drew it out as the others started to rise up.

 _Day VII  
_ _Destination - 39  
_ _Target - Game Master  
_ _Time limit - 10:00:00  
_ _Cost of failure - Erasure_

"Good morning," Mii mused, getting Nafe's attention. "Is that the mission?"

"Y-Yeah," Nafe confirmed as their timers appeared. "It says to erase the Game Master."

"She told us yesterday," Mazuma observed. "Does it say _where?_ "

"39," Nafe replied. "We should-"

She was cut off as a sound started to echo from afar; the others, too, were caught off-guard by the sound. After a moment, everyone turned in the direction of the 39 Building, incredulous.

"Is that..." Lilio blinked. "Is she... playing music?"

* * *

_Current track: Machine Muzik - Artist Unknown_

Calne Ca stood atop the 39 Building, her song echoing through the UG - but only the UG, for she had been sure to upshift her equipment before starting the track. Systems lined the ridge of the rooftop, speakers facing outward; a keyboard stood before her, on which she played seven notes in a pattern with her left hand - a layer of her instrumental track that had been extracted from the file she currently had playing on the system.

The elevator was getting close - and with it, the six Players. As it approached the rooftop, Calne Ca triggered something with her right hand, not ceasing her instrumentation in the process; power vanished throughout the 39 Building, petrifying the elevator with access to the top floor. Her track started to wind down, and she removed her hand from the keyboard, closing her grip on the air at her side - and her massive blade appeared in her grip, which she swung when she had braced it completely.

It tore through the speakers around her, and they were erased, vanishing without even fragments to fall to the plaza below.

The Players forced the elevator doors open - and the wall she had erected across its surface offered them further bracing to force it wide.

"A lamenting goddess left this prophecy for the five warring kingdoms below: that their world would end in blackest sun-fire."

Calne Ca raised her gaze skyward.

"Yet her prophecy held hope. The goddess promised to all living things, great and small, a saving light to ward off their doom."

The Reaper raised her scarred hand towards the clouds above.

"But the five kings would not believe her. So one sought strength and found futility; so another sank in mindless wisdom."

The Reaper bowed her head, letting her hand fall.

"In the end, the kings' delusions led them to a chamber of reckoning, where their unspent chaos brought fear and woe to all."

Slowly she started to turn.

"Now, as the boy stands before Eden, the five kings in his wake, the goddess rewards his balanced judgement with her light."

Mii; Mazuma; Shizu; Karli; Lilio; Nafe. The six Players stood in the powerless elevator, gazes upon her. Five of them wore the same hateful expressions as they had every time she had faced them; the sixth had her gaze upon the Game Master with uncertainty, as though she had a question she was begging to ask.

"For surviving this far, I offer you a bargain. Once the pact is made, so long as your partner remains in your vicinity, you may fight. Even if a barrier should stand between you - be it physical construction or Reaper's wall - distance is all that matters. If you agree to let a single one of you face me, I will promise your advancement to the end. You will stand before the Conductor, receive the Composer's judgement, and she will reward those deserving with life anew."

One final chance. She was willing to offer this one final chance to the Apostles, who had wasted the week with their unwillingness to change. Yet even as she offered it, she knew they had no intention of taking it, from the expressions they wore as she spoke.

Shizu was the one who spoke up. "After what you did to us, you think we're going to stand back and watch you die without getting our own hits in?" She shook her head. "We _all_ fight you, or we _don't_ fight you."

Calne Ca sighed. "Then I will allow all of you to fight me. But first, it seems the innocent soul among you has a query." She aimed her finger at Nafe. "And if I can provide an answer, I will do so."

Nafe's gaze fell. "...The other day, you said something about... Black Rock Shooter. Who is that?"

It was clear from her tone that it was not the question she intended to ask - and indeed, Calne Ca was surprised at the query. But all the same, the question had been asked, and she did not intend to go back on her word.

"A warrior goddess to whom I have borne witness," she replied, "to whom I owe my life."

Mazuma scoffed. "Yeah," he retorted, "how about a real answer?"

"The Diola from which you originate is known as the Realground," Calne Ca proclaimed. "The Diola in which you stand is known as the Underground. The two planes inhabit the same space, but the Underground at a higher frequency than the Realground - allowing one to witness the other, but prohibiting the other from witnessing the one. At a higher frequency still exists the domain of Angels. A plane where all life is sacred, where all individuals are equal. Black Rock Shooter is a representative of the Higher Plane, who watches silently over the Underground, always present but never interfering - until such time as a betrayer from the Higher Plane should threaten to bring harm thereto."

She closed her eyes and bowed her head. "When I was a Player, a betrayer from the Higher Plane threatened to bring harm to the Underground. Black Rock Shooter acted to protect it - and in the process, saved my life."

Tears began to well in her eyes. "And knowing that I stand in the Underground, and knowing of the Higher Plane, and knowing that I will never ascend to that existence...!"

Power surged out from around her as she and the Players were brought to Noise frequency; silvery-blue lines extended across her prosthetics, covering her arm and legs with threatening patterns.

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts..."

Her hair began to lash about her in a threatening wind.

"...it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts..."

Black sparks began to gather around her dead left eye.

" _...it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts...!_ "

She raised her gaze to the Players, and saw, for the first time, fear.

" _ **It hurts!**_ "

Jet-black flames **ignited** upon her eye, and the Apostles pulled back in terror. Nafe slammed her hands against the wall, crying out, as Calne Ca tried to step forward; but then the flames began to burn, and she _screamed_ , the sound so piercing it shook the Realground. The intense heat began to _melt_ her dead eye as she writhed, reaching for it with her left hand - but the blaze only licked at her scarred flesh, the flames spreading across her skin. The mad, tormented motions pulled her prosthetics in ways they weren't meant to turn, and her right leg fell from its mount, followed quickly by her left as she started to fall. The landing upon the roof of 39 was enough of a jolt to knock her arm off its mount as well, and as she landed upon the rooftop, her body went still.

The black flame was still burning, and now a charred black liquid started to drip out of her left eye socket, and onto the rooftop.

Nafe's hand dove into her pocket, drawing out the keypin and hoping desperately that it was right for this lock; she bashed it against the wall, and it vanished, leaving her stumbling as she dashed out onto the roof. "No! No!"

"What the hell?" Mii was the first one to step out after her, and the others followed suit. "Where did you-?"

None of them had time to inquire - Nafe hadn't even gotten near enough to consider setting her hand on Calne Ca before she started to move. Her wings began to flex, elongating, seeming to stretch thin. All of a sudden, they _shattered_ , shards ripping apart like fractured steel, the pieces falling to the rooftop around her with a metallic clatter.

Her burning left arm shifted, causing the Apostles to pull back; her palm hit the rooftop, and tremored as it tried to exert enough force to move her. From beneath her skirt - from the mount of her right leg - emerged the same steely blue lines as lined her prosthetic; they connected with the rooftop, and suddenly, she had two opposing points of balance to try and rise upon. From her left leg's mount emerged the same, and she managed to brace herself at a height that would have been her knees; then ashes began to crumble from her left arm, and to everyone's terror it started to _elongate_ ,.

Two fingers broke off and vanished like Noise as the added length pushed her backwards; the flames started to fade, revealing it had been charred to the bone. The lines that had emerged in place of her legs started to extend as well, forming long, threatening blades in parallel, three to each limb. The left tail of her hair started to condense, retreating into a sharpened point; the right did the opposite, extending and flailing wildly. As she started to right herself, her mouth opened, but no sound emerged; her jaw seemed to come loose as it opened wide, and then, abruptly, wounds seemed to carve themselves in her flesh, reaching back across the division between her jaw and her skull.

With a sickening _crack_ , her jaw parted from her mouth entirely, and then vanished before it could even hit the ground. From the roof of her mouth extended the same steely lines as formed her legs, taking shape like spider limbs and moving madly. She gradually managed to stand upright, the charred liquid falling from her left eye socket now dripping down what was left of her face as consequence; the socket itself was slowly growing wider, the flames burning so thick as to be opaque. More lines extended from her right shoulder, forming a different, but similar limb to her legs; this time the lines formed three blades separate from one another, rotating along the axis independently. She slowly opened her right eye, its gaze unfocused and seeming to look straight through the Players before her.

Then, abruptly, the flame dissipated - and in the socket that had been burned wide was a crimson light, mounted in a void of black.

"Oh my god," Lilio exclaimed. "What the hell...?"

" **You have re-fused e-ve-ry opp-or-tu-ni-ty I gave you to change.** " Calne Ca's voice had distorted, pitch unchanging, each syllable equidistant from the last without regard to the formation of the words themselves; the lines that had emerged from within her mouth shifted as she spoke, as though to make up for her lack of jaw. " **You are un-de-ser-ving of a se-cond chance at life. You are un-de-ser-ving e-ven of e-xi-stence in the Un-der-ground!** " The lines that formed her legs started to shift, pushing her to stand taller, and she raised her bladed right arm in threat. " **I pro-mised each of you that I would see to your de-mise if you re-fused to re-pent. And so I shall e-rase you my-self!** "

She raised her warped, skeletal hand skyward. " **No mat-ter the cost!** "

Terror petrified everyone, barring their movement until it was nearly too late. Calne Ca took one step forward and brought her bladed arm back across her torso; as it started to move, the Apostles broke rank in fear, but Lilio alone was too slow, and the blades ripped through him, the first two carving lines across his form and the third causing it to vanish before he could even cry out.

"Lilio!" Mii's yell drew Calne Ca's attention; as she turned to face her, the Apostle brought her hand down, sending an edge forward. Calne Ca couldn't begin to try and evade, but the blade only brushed lightly against her body; as she glanced down for any indicator it had harmed her, the buttons of her top shattered, leaving it to fall open just barely such that her breasts were not exposed.

The Reaper raised her gaze to Mii, who immediately knew how outmatched she was; she tried to flee, tried to leap off the edge of 39 in the desperate hope that Calne Ca's descent on Day 1 was a nature of the Underground and not the power of a Reaper. Calne Ca reached forward, her skeletal hand closing around the Player's neck, and her cries were strangled against that bone grip.

Calne Ca brought her skyward and then slammed her to the rooftop below, and she was gone before the sound of the impact had reached the other Apostles. The blind Karli homed in on the sound all the same, and the Game Master shifted one leg on the surface before twisting to bring the other around; the edges lashed through the brute in parallel, and he vanished before he could even grunt.

Shizu's scream emerged as Calne Ca set that leg against the surface again; as she charged forward with her weapon in hand, Calne Ca brought her other leg up, swinging it forward and striking the weapon out of her hand. Shizu barely managed to avoid being struck by the blades herself, only to realize too late that the positioning of Calne Ca's grounded leg meant the most balanced stance involved _bringing the leg back_ ; the edges cleaved through her torso, causing her to vanish as her brother had as the Reaper made to stand.

"End this now!"

Mazuma's yell from the nearest edge drew Calne Ca's attention... and her undamaged eye widened in shock. The last Apostle was standing at the edge of the building... and his grip was on Nafe's hoodie, holding her over the edge. He was within the range of her swing - she could lean forward and strike him without losing her balance - but the threat he posed had the Game Master petrified.

" **What...?** "

"You call her innocent?" Mazuma demanded. "You think she's better than us? Some brat who ran from the missions?" His grip jolted, and Nafe, who had her own grip on his wrist out of sheer desperation not to fall, cried out in terror. "What makes her so special? What makes her better than those who actually _played_ this damned Game!?"

" **You woul-dn't-!** "

" _Wouldn't I?!_ " Mazuma retorted. "You want her to live, don't you? You want her to get a second chance? Then off yourself right now, or she goes!"

Nafe saw the hesitation of the Game Master, and she closed her eyes.

"...Calne Ca..."

Her grip shifted to Mazuma's hand.

"...You didn't... break your promise."

Mazuma couldn't react before the pressure struck; Nafe's hands pulled on his grip, and it slacked just enough for the flaps of her hoodie to slip through his fingers. Calne Ca _screamed_ , lunging forward in terror as she started to fall; her bladed arm cleaved through Mazuma, erasing him as she propelled herself off the edge of 39. She dove down after Nafe, her skeletal hand extending towards the innocent soul as they fell - but she was just out of reach, and her transformed form meant the distance only lengthened in the brief time they fell.

Nafe hit the pavement, and vanished.

Calne Ca struck the place where she had landed - and the twisted form of the Game Master refused to acknowledge the impact.

**Cantus  
** **Chapter Closed**


	29. Solitude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> And the reason there was something missing is because I needed to save it for a whammy.

There was a file on Miku's writing desk.

She was 390% certain that she was not responsible for putting it there. For one thing, she didn't even have featureless single-slot paper file folders like this; anything she wrote by hand was kept in a heavy-duty binder with a photo of Glory Music on the cover, and legal paperwork got placed in a plastic accordion folder that she kept locked in a cabinet in her basement until she had need of it, or propped in a stand in the dining room when she did. The file didn't even seem to have much in it, as the ridges all around were still making contact with one another.

With a heavy breath, she retreated into the kitchen, returning with a pair of rubber gloves on her hands. Carefully, she approached the desk, setting her now-covered hands on the surface and rotating it to look at the label.

_Chiyuki Shiie - Game File_

"Game?" Miku murmured. "As in, Reaper's Game?" _Why is there a file from the Reaper's Game here?_ Not taking her gloves off, she opened up the file, rotating it so the papers were oriented properly. There were five pages within, each with a header - Player, Punishment, Reaper, Game Master, and Erasure. The Reaper page seemed noticeably longer than the others; after a moment, Miku started to read the Player page.

_Chiyuki Shiie (F) - Player History_

_Post-Mortem  
Date of death: XX/XX/XXXX  
Age at death: 16  
Cause of death: gunshot wound to heart  
_ _Entry fee: proof of existence prior to death  
_

_Notes  
-Blind in one eye since birth  
-Attacked some time before her death by associates of her killer; subject to dismemberment, immolation  
-Legs, right arm prosthetic  
_

"Blind in one eye? And three prosthetics?" Miku glanced up the page. "Chiyuki Shiie... C-A... Ca?" _Is this Calne Ca?_ She turned back to her place on the page.

_Game_ _Notes  
_ _Partner: See end note  
Psych pin usage  
-Genocide  
-Photon*  
Mission completion  
-Day 1: Achieved mission objective with partner  
-Day 2: No effort given to mission  
-Day 3: No effort given to mission; protection of field Reapers from assailant  
-Day 4: Emergency mission issued; acted upon suggested measures  
-Day 5: Achieved mission objective alone  
-Day 6: No effort given to mission; protection of Conductor from assailant  
-Day 7: No effort given to mission  
Ranking among surviving Players: N/A  
_

_*Not issued Photon pin; apprehended from partner_

"Not available?" Miku murmured. "Does that have to do with the emergency mission?"

_Verdict_ _  
_ _Due to complicity in the actions of illegal Players, initially sentenced to erasure. Prior action in Reapers' favour resulted in altered sentence; see Punishment file._

_Final Notes  
_ _Sole record of partner is word of mouth from Player and assisted Reapers. Suggested investigation into unknown Player: Viialless_

"Viialless?" Miku read aloud. "Vii-all... arr? Bii?" She blinked. "BRS?!"

She pulled back from the file in a shock. "The **Producer!?** "

* * *

"Calne Ca?!"

The voice from nearby drew the attention of the Game Master, who had gone unmoving since she had descended from the rooftop of the 39 Building. Now, slowly, the transformed Calne Ca started to right herself, raising her gaze to find two familiar Reapers standing before her.

Mew and Oliver had come looking for Calne Ca when she had failed to report to the Otherworld after her success as Game Master - Oliver at the Conductor's request to bring her back, and Mew out of curiosity as to how the triple-amputee had managed to achieve 100% erasure. They had felt the shift to Noise frequency as they had approached, and now they saw that it wasn't because she had neglected to remove her self-branding; she stood there with limbs of waved lines, looking more Noise than Reaper.

"What happened to you?!" Oliver exclaimed.

"Cantus," Mew gasped out, a smile appearing on her face. "You underwent a Cantus transformation..." She looked over the Game Master in admiration. "Calne Ca... No, _Calne Cantus_. It's like you knew this was going to happen. I never thought I'd see a Reaper do this..."

Oliver shook his head. "But... the Players are gone," he insisted. "You don't need to be like this anymore! Why are you still like this?!"

" **I can-not...** "

The boy stepped back. "What?"

" **I can-not re-turn...** " There was sorrow in Calne Ca's undamaged eye. " **It will not re-vert...** "

Mew looked over her. "You... only changed halfway," she realized. "Your limbs, your eye... You didn't go full Cantus. What were you _thinking?_ "

Oliver shook his head. "Cy... Cyber Songman said you need to come back. To the Otherworld. W-We'll..."

He turned away and ran; Mew glanced after him and turned back to her. "I'll make sure the elevator's empty when you get back to the Await," she promised.

It took a long time before Calne Ca made her way to the elevator that lead to Reaper territory. Her legs and arm were able to... fold tightly enough that she could step into the elevator, if it was empty; once she was inside, she hit the button for the Otherworld, grateful to find it worked at Noise frequency. When she arrived, every residence with a designated occupant had its door open, the Reapers watching her as she tried to advance; she could hear them murmuring about her, and more than once heard the name 'Calne Cantus' that Mew had uttered.

Cyber Songman didn't make her come to the Dead God's Pad; when she stepped into the Under Dark, the Conductor was waiting for her there.

"Calne Ca," he greeted, his voice seeming all the louder in the open space. "Or is it Calne Cantus now?" He shook his head. "You are the first Reaper to achieve 100% erasure in your service as Game Master." Calne Ca could feel eyes upon her back, and realized the Reapers were watching her from the Walk of Demons. "As was proclaimed, you will not be given an officer position. However, you are still to be rewarded. If you should have a request, within reason, the Composer has given me the authority to grant it."

" **...Ease...** "

The Conductor blinked. "I beg pardon?"

" **Give me a do-main to ease my pain,** " Calne Ca pleaded. " **My form will not re-vert to that of a Rea-per. I can-not ma-ni-fest in the Un-der-ground or Re-al-ground. This e-xi-stence can-not be borne...** " She bowed her head. " **I beg of you, Con-duc-tor...** " She shook her head. " **I beg of the Com-po-ser her-self... Give me a do-main that will ease my pain... One where my form will not in-con-ve-ni-ence the Rea-per's Game...** "

Cyber Songman sighed. "Such a request will require the Composer's influence... but I am certain we can acquiesce. Wait here."

* * *

" **Ma-chine Mu-zik.** "

That was the name Calne Ca had given to her domain - the domain that the Composer had manifested for her. The elevator between DIVA and the Otherworld had been empowered to recognize Calne Ca - or a branding inflicted by Cyber Diva - and bestow access to her domain in that event. Now, at Calne Ca's utterance, the elevator began to descend, taking her and Cyber Songman to the lower level.

There was room for Calne Cantus and one other - but only only if their build was not great, and only if Calne Ca entered first.

When the elevator came to a halt, the Conductor turned to her. "This domain will bend to your whims," he proclaimed, "and yours alone. It will take whatever form you ask, and provide you with whatever you need - save an Angel's wings or a Reaper's head. Henceforth, the Composer has proclaimed that you will no longer be asked of anything, and left to your solitude; you need not fear that your wings will vanish while you remain here."

" **Thank you, Con-duc-tor.** "

She stepped out of the elevator, extreme caution taken not to strike him with her blades. She found herself standing in what seemed to be an empty room, roughly the size of the 'bedroom' area of her home in the Otherworld (though with a much higher ceiling), and as the door closed, she heard the elevator ascend. However, no sooner had Calne Ca longed for a spacier area than the room seemed to extend in all directions, leaving her with more space than the plaza surrounding 39.

After a long moment, she glanced down at herself, and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, Machine Muzik looked truly otherworldly; she stood on a plain of vibrant hues that extended into perpetuity, with dark skies above her.

" **Black Rock Shooter...** "

The Noise limbs acted - but she did not feel their motions. She did not even feel the surface they struck.

" **I can't move...** "

At thirteen Cantus paces, she turned back. There was no sign of where the elevator would stand; she'd wager it would not even appear in the same place in Machine Muzik, if she willed it not to. After a long moment, she closed her eyes, and a large computer setup appeared before her; it stood appropriately tall for her to make use of, and she made to type upon its keyboard.

Her bladed arm cleaved through the desk, and her skeletal arm struck the monitors.

With a gasp, Calne Ca stepped back, willing the system to reconstruct - and it did. After a long moment, she closed her eyes; when they reopened, the keyboard was just below the level of her face, and she carefully stepped forward. The lines that extended from her mouth started to move, with all the precision she asked of them, and she typed at the keys; this system, she asked, would give her the information of every file in the Reapers' purview, that she need not march to the Dead God's Pad as Calne Cantus and earn the attention of the Reapers any further.

Her first search: _Reconstruction of Soul of erased Players_

After a moment, one file popped up: _Taboo Noise [Classified]_

* * *

Years she spent in Machine Muzik, in solitude - nothing asked of her by the Underground, by DIVA. But from the Underground, she could _witness_ DIVA - and every Game, if she noticed it before its end, she chose to witness DIVA erase its Players, and its Game Master. She saw Cyber Songman and Cyber Diva fall; she saw Players join the Reapers, and Reapers be erased.

But she could only see if she looked, and she did not look endlessly. Thus, it was to her surprise that she saw the elevator box descend into Machine Muzik - for the first time since she had arrived - with the Conductor and the Composer as its passengers.

She could relocate herself in an instant without needing to move, and so she positioned herself atop one of her withdrawn towers; the elevator box touched down upon the surface before her, and the doors opened. Naka Gumi stepped out, with terror obvious on her expression, and Calne Ca directed the towers to rise, showing Machine Muzik in its complete glory. After a moment, the Composer glanced back the way she had come, as though fearful the elevator would be gone behind her. Calne Ca directed her personal creations - Noise she had forged in experimentation - to approach their guest, hoping to learn her reason for being here.

"I'm hear to speak with Calne Ca." Gumi's voice was rushed.

Calne Ca quickly relocated herself behind the Composer, and spoke. " **Na-ka Gu-mi...** " She set one hand against her wing, feeling the power that coursed from its minute frame. " **The Com-po-ser's seat has made you po-wer-ful.** "

Gumi swallowed heavily. "Calne Ca," she greeted. "Did you create these?"

" **Ru-bi-di-um... Mag-ne-si-um...** " Her Noise moved in response to her naming them, to make it clear which was which. " **They as-sist me in this do-main. There is on-ly so much one can do a-lone.** " Indeed, if she had not summoned Noise from the refinery sigil, she would never know if it worked in forging what she wanted.

It never had - even if Angels would Fall for teaching a Reaper what she had learned from trial and error.

The Composer flexed her wing against Calne Ca's grip, and the Cantus released it. "Nice to see you're as adaptive as ever."

" **Why have you come here?** " Calne Ca demanded, stepping back. " **The Con-duc-tor would not aid you for mere cu-ri-o-si-ty.** "

"I require a Game Master."

Realization struck Calne Ca, and only by an instant did she stop herself from striking the Composer where she stood. Magnesium's tail lashed forward, halting inches from Gumi's face as she stepped back. The Cantus' fury resonated in her steps, every motion causing thunder to sound throughout Machine Muzik.

" **The po-si-tion of** **Game Mas-ter is a sen-tence to death in** **DI-VA,** " Calne Ca reprimanded. " **No Rea-per had sur-vived the as-sign-ment be-fore I took the stig-ma. And no Rea-per has sur-vived the as-sign-ment since. I was pro-mised so-li-tude for my com-plete e-ra-sure of the Pla-yers. And now you come to my do-main. Not on-ly do you ask me to re-turn to DI-VA, but you mean to have me take the man-tle once a-gain.** "

Gumi seemed to be considering her words before she spoke. "The previous Composer never offered to unmake it, did she?"

Calne Ca's paces halted. " **No Rea-per had e-ver spo-ken with Cy-ber Di-va be-fore you felled her,** " she reprimanded.

"And her Conductor?" Gumi pointed out. "He didn't tell you she could have reversed it?"

She hadn't even thought to ask. " **When I could not re-verse it my-self, I re-ques-ted so-li-tude. Cy-ber Song-man did not at-tempt to dis-suade me.** "

"The Composer's power is absolute in DIVA," Gumi proclaimed. "I can remove the burden that earned you the mockery of Calne Cantus."

" **And you expect me to ac-cept the bur-den of Game Mas-ter in re-turn?** " Calne Ca demanded.

"What does the Composer need to do, during the Game?" Gumi inquired. "Assuming the Game Master isn't a proxy."

" **Is-sue a sin-gle mis-sion, on the se-venth day.** " That was only based on her observations of Gumi's Composerhood, in truth; Calne Ca had never seen Cyber Diva send a mission. " **And e-rase an-y who in-tend to take the seat. Ne-ver has more than one made the a-ttempt o-ver the course of one Game.** " Cyber Songman was the only Reaper who had ever made the attempt and failed during Gumi's tenure.

Gumi nodded. "That is all I need you to do," she proclaimed. "Issue one mission. Erase one Player. And I will unmake your burden."

Now Calne Ca knew that there was more to this than simply needing a Game Master. " **You have ne-ver con-demned a Pla-yer to un-con-di-tion-al e-ra-sure,** " she observed. " **Why would you task me with this?** "

"I have my reasons," Gumi deflected, "and they are mine alone."

That wasn't enough. Calne Ca approached in silence, leaning towards the Composer; her tendrils draped over Gumi, scanning for any sign of her hidden motives. Gumi stumbled aside, terrified, and Rubidium stepped forward to warn Gumi not to run off.

" **...Black Rock Shooter.** "

Gumi whirled around, terrified. "What?"

" **This gen-tle frag-rance.** " Calne Ca knew this essence; she knew the sign of the Producer. " **You have met with an An-gel... and earned her fu-ry.** " There was only one Angel the Composer had any business associating with, and Calne Ca smiled - or tried to, for only one eye took the form - in her confidence of knowing what Gumi wanted... and the price she would pay. " **I ac-cept your of-fer. I will take the man-tle of Game Mas-ter once a-gain. The Pla-yer you spe-ci-fy will be e-rased.** "

"Thank you," Gumi praised. "There remain four days in the current Game - including today. Your Game begins immediately following."

Calne Ca watched as the Composer returned to the elevator; the doors closed behind her, and then the elevator began to rise. Once it had vanished into DIVA, Calne Ca raised her Noise arm above her, contrasting it against dark rather than light.

It had lost its colour when the Noise she had summoned ceased to defy her; the lines of her Cantus form were greyscale - no different than the Taboo Noise that served her.

From the arms of one of the towers descended a lifeless body, beneath which Calne Ca appeared to halt its fall. She had constructed these in anticipation of her need to return to DIVA - having dreaded, during Cyber Diva's rule, the Composer would go back on the promise that Calne Cantus be left to her solitude. The bodies lacked faces above the lips, and their entire structure was piecemeal, such that she could extract any part of them and replace it if the need arose.

Her Noise limbs began to condense themselves, and Calne Ca winced as they were forced smaller than she could comfortably bend them - it was no less painful that a human bending their arms or legs too far the wrong way, only less permanent. The torso was removed from the body - or perhaps it was more accurate to say the rest of the body was removed from the torso - and Calne Ca took its place, her Noise limbs condensed and hidden with the limbs of the body she stood within.

Her skeletal arm could not be hidden in the same way; Calne Ca removed the left arm of the body, and let it remain exposed.

She could enter the Underground like this, rather than forcing her surroundings to Noise frequency - and so she could serve as Game Master once again.

**False Reward**   
**Chapter Closed**


	30. Oblivion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Never play Tin Pin with a Joy-Con. Especially not during Another Day.

_Chiyuki Shiie (F) - Punishment Detail  
_

_Infraction  
Six illegal Players were in action during her time as a Player. Chiyuki became aware of this and refused to report them to any Reaper, allowing them to continue unnoticed.  
_

_Prior Actions  
An assailant, later identified as a Fallen Angel, attacked two field Reapers and the Conductor during her time as a Player. Chiyuki acted to defend the Reapers at cost to herself.  
_

_Sentence  
Due to having acted in the Reapers' benefit before her sentence could be passed, Chiyuki was spared immediate erasure. Her punishment is as follows:  
-Entry fee will be withheld for the duration of three Games and intermediate periods  
-Chiyuki will serve as a field Reaper under special orders from the Conductor, with instructions to erase as many Players as possible  
-Score will be accumulated as any Reaper's would, both from successful erasure and following instructions from Game Master(s) willing  
-If sufficient score* is not accumulated before the period has ended, entry fee will be rendered non-refundable  
Upon completion of the sentence, Chiyuki will be treated as a surviving Player regardless of verdict._

_* defined here as the erasure of eighteen Players over the course of three Games, or obedience of Game Master's instructions to equivalent end_

_Performance_ _  
First Game  
-Day 1: Successful erasure of two Players via summoned Noise  
-Day 2: Successful erasure of two Players via summoned Noise  
-Day 6: Erasure of two Players in self-defense  
-Day 7: Cooperation with Game Master's orders to remain on standby  
Second Game  
-Day 3: Successful erasure of four Players via summoned Noise  
-Day 5: Successful erasure of two Players via summoned Noise  
-Day 7: Cooperation with Game Master's orders to remain on standby  
Third Game  
-Day 7: Erasure of one Player in self-defense_

_Verdict  
_ _Chiyuki has failed to accumulate the expected score during her sentence. Entry fee rendered non-refundable._

_Final Notes  
_ _A single Player neglected to forge a pact, showing unusual resilience before his erasure. Actions from Chiyuki and associates indicate this Player to be her killer._

"No pact?" Miku murmured. "Why would he refuse to forge a pact?" She narrowed her gaze at the section for the third Game. "And that was the only one she erased... Did she spend the whole week trying to erase him personally?"

She moved the Punishment page over; the Reaper page was much longer, and actually seemed to be folded in on itself

_Calne Ca (F) - Reaper History_

_Player_ _ Choice  
_ _Chiyuki Shiie survived the Reaper's Game and was not restored to life. When presented with the option between re-entry into the Game, joining the Reapers, or accepting erasure, she chose to join the Reapers. Chiyuki requested at her induction to be addressed as 'Calne Ca' from that point on. Further mentions in Game files will refer appropriately._

"I thought so," Miku observed. "But where did she get that name?" The rest of the Reaper file was largely a record of things she didn't want to think about or couldn't accurately gauge - an analysis of erasure history, tactical tendencies, and when she had been promoted to Harrier - but something did stand out towards the end.

 _Final Notes  
Requested position as Game Master following the demise of six individuals known to be associates of her indicated killer. Was instated as Game Master under the condition that she would not receive officer promotion if successful.  
_ _Survived first tenure as Game Master; rewarded with isolated domain.  
Discovered to have created Taboo Noise during second tenure as Game Master. Punished with handicap by Composer.  
Reconstructed after erasure by outsider Reaper; see Erasure file.  
Granted peaceful erasure at request by Composer._

Miku narrowed her gaze. "Officer?"

Hoping this wouldn't come across as too suspicious, she removed one glove and drew out her phone, dialling Gumi. It didn't take long for her to pick up; _"Hey,"_ she greeted. _"Your timing is awesome."_

"Glad to be of service," Miku admitted, deciding not to ask for elaboration. "Um, can I ask you a weird question?"

 _"Hm?"_ Gumi sounded slightly bemused as she agreed, _"Sure, what's up?"_

Miku glanced at the file before her. "Is there a position in the Reapers above 'Harrier'... but below 'Conductor'?"

Gumi sighed into the line. _"Not in DIVA, anymore,"_ she admitted. _"I abolished the officer system when I became Composer, and it looks like Haku's maintained it. Nowadays, Reapers are Support or Harrier based on what they **want** to do, and if we don't have enough Support for something, we draw straws out of a hat."_

"Or use it as a sentence for someone who needs punishment," Miku observed.

 _"That too,"_ Gumi giggled into the line.

"So, what did being an officer used to entail?" Miku asked.

 _"Paperwork, management, and passing on orders from the Conductor,"_ Gumi replied. _"At least... in theory."_

"And... in practice?"

 _"Cyber Diva's narcissism was the lesser crime,"_ Gumi proclaimed. _"Support and Harriers were 'field Reapers'; being made a Harrier was technically a promotion, but it didn't get you much better treatment from above. DIVA's never had enough field Reapers to really require delegated managment. Officers were hand-promoted by Cyber Songman for personal preference, with no regard to their performance - and when you made officer, you got to lounge around the Dead God's Pad doing nothing during the Game. And you'd rack up points for it."_ She scoffed. _"And if someone they didn't **choose** wanted to be officer, they had to prove themselves."_

Miku's gaze fell. "You mean..."

 _"Game Master,"_ Gumi confirmed. _"Cyber Diva **knew** it was a death sentence, and used that to stop anyone she didn't want as an officer from being an officer."_

"That's... awful," Miku murmured. "Now I see why you got rid of that."

 _"Yeah,"_ Gumi agreed. _"Now we're Harriers or Support by choice - you wanna be a Reaper, you gotta put in the effort. And if someone is made a Game Master, they ask for the position - or we put it to a vote."_

"I see," Miku mused. "Thanks."

 _"No worries,"_ Gumi assured her. _"See you."_

She hung up, and Miku set her phone down; then she picked up her rubber glove and slipped it back on before turning back to Calne Ca's file.

 _Calne Ca (F) - Tenure(s) as Game Master  
_

_=Tenure 1=_

_Player Base  
Player Count: 6  
Known Players  
-Murasaki Mii (F) - partnered to Midori Lilio  
-Akagi Mazuma (M) - partnered to Taiko Nafe  
-Kiiro Shizu (F) - partnered to Kiiro Karli  
-Kiiro Karli (M) - partnered to Kiiro Shizu  
-Taiko Nafe (F) - partnered to Akagi Mazuma  
-Midori Lilio (M) - partnered to Murasaki Mii_

_Game Progression  
Day 1: Reach the 39 Building in 60 minutes  
-All Players successful  
-No erasures  
Day 2: Erase Bat Noise, Jelly Noise, Shrew Noise at Ashes Square in 120 minutes  
-Achieved by Kiiro, Kiiro  
-No erasures  
Day 3: Erase Popguin Noise, Raven Noise at Rouge Square in 120 minutes  
-Achieved by Murasaki, Midori, contribution by Akagi, Taiko  
-No erasures  
Day 4: Erase Shark Noise at Starmine Square in 120 minutes  
-Achieved by Kiiro, Kiiro, contribution by Murasaki, Midori  
-No erasures  
-Game Master shown to act in protection of Taiko  
Day 5: Erase Fox Noise at Tengaku Square in 120 minutes  
-Achieved by Murasaki, Midori  
-No erasures  
Day 6: Erase Woolly Noise at Cybernation Plaza in 120 minutes  
-Achieved by Kiiro, Kiiro, contribution from all surviving Players  
-No erasures  
-Game Master shown to act in protection of Taiko_

"Again?" Miku didn't understand what she was seeing. "How did she erase everyone if she was protecting one of the Players?"

_Day 7: Defeat the Game Master atop the 39 Building in 600 minutes  
-Partial Cantus transformation undergone by Game Master  
-Erasure of Midori, Murasaki, Kiiro, Kiiro, Akagi via Cantus  
-Erasure of Taiko by Akagi_

Miku gasped, shocked. "One of the Players... erased his partner?" She glanced up the page to double-check. "That was... the one she was protecting."

_Aftermath  
_ _Game Master Calne Ca successfully achieved 100% erasure of Player base. Cantus transformation discovered to be irrevocable by own hands._

_Reward  
Game Master requested a solitary domain to ease the pain of her transformed state. Request granted by Composer in the form of 'Machine Muzik', as named by Calne Ca._

_=Tenure 2=_

_Player Base  
_ _Player Count: 1  
Known Players  
-Hatsune Miku (F) - partnered to Yowane Haku [former Reaper]_

"And then this is my last Game," Miku observed. After a moment, she decided its contents were unimportant, and moved on to the Erasure file - which was much smaller than the others.

_Calne Ca (F) - Erasure Detail_

_Cause of Erasure  
_ _Struck down by Fallen Angel* during second tenure as Game Master (first)  
Accepted peaceful erasure from Composer (second)_

_*Reports are that the Fallen Angel responsible has been redeemed by the Higher Plane._

_Further Notes  
_ _Responsibility for Taboo Noise led to attempted erasure by Composer; method of erasure proved insufficient  
Reconstructed from Soul by outsider Reaper. Outsider suspected to be Composer of separate domain._

Miku sighed, pushing back from her desk. The file had given her some information, but it was largely a footnote to what she had already learned... save for the Player file.

Black Rock Shooter had been Calne Ca's partner.

After a long moment, Miku closed the file, took off her rubber gloves, and made to depart.

* * *

There was nothing.

She had spent her existence after her death wondering what would follow if she should be erased. Would she be tormented, subject to immeasurable pain? Would she find herself among those who had been erased before her, with all their sins laid bare for one another to see? Would she be alone with her thoughts, her regrets and sorrows, and left to suffer at the whims of her own mind?

But when Yowane struck her down, nothing had come to her. Her Cantus form had been rent, and she had stood in Machine Muzik as a Reaper for the brief moment before her power left her. And when it did, when she succumbed to erasure, there was nothing.

_There was peace._

And then, of a sudden, that peace was shattered. She opened her eyes, and the light blinded her. Her lungs burned, desperate for air, and she sucked in a horrified breath. Something approached her in a rush; she held out her left hand to stop it, and the contact seemed to slash at her skin, after so long without it. It took far too long before she could understand the sensations that her body was feeling.

There was pavement under her palm - _palms_ , rather, although only her left hand could feel it. The light was that of dusk, and diluted at that; twilight had descended upon Diola, and she was on her hands and knees in Silent Beat Alleyway. After a long moment, she became aware of a pair of feet before her, wearing platform shoes that seemed to blend in to a pair of vertially-striped purple stockings, and slowly raised her gaze up the body of their owner, a bright-haired figure wearing a black rabbit-eared hoodie.

With a pair of black, skeletal wings upon her back.

"Hello."

Calne Ca fought to rise, and heard the whirr of her prosthetics as she did so; she managed to get to her feet, finding some slight difficulty in keeping her balance. Only once she was stable did she speak to the Reaper before her. "Who... are you?"

"My name is Yuzuki Yukari," the Reaper introduced. "I am the Composer of Utau City."

"What?" Calne Ca shook her head. "Utau City... is no more."

"Yes," Yuzuki growled, "I'm aware of that." Then, shaking her head; "Now you must reciprocate the introduction. What is your name?"

"...Calne Ca." She shook her head. "Why did you do this?"

Yuzuki sighed. "I have come here after learning the fate of Utau City's Players," she proclaimed. "I seek to take vengeance against those who have benefited from the slaughter - Reapers and Players, past and present. But I hope to have an ally - and you, I can tell, were not complicit in that massacre.

"I couldn't ask for a better ally than a Cantus."

Realization struck Calne Ca, and this time she had no motivation to prevent her strike. Her left hand closed on the air, and a great blade appeared in her grip; Yuzuki stumbled back in shock as the reconstructed Reaper stepped forward, swinging the blade at the one responsible. It struck before she could evade, throwing her back; as she tried to right herself, the weapon vanished, and Calne Ca raised her hand, light welling in her palm before a ray surged forward to strike Yuzuki again and slam her into the wall opposite the concert venue.

"You seek such mindless revenge," Calne Ca demanded, "and would ask me to take that tortured form again to aid you!?"

Yuzuki pulled herself from the wall with a growl. "The ability to take a Cantus transformation is a sign of power," she proclaimed. "But if you don't like the form itself, then say as much. The assistance is all I ask."

Calne Ca shook her head. "Selfish desires have led me to suffering after suffering," she growled. "I have no reason to assist you."

Her blade appeared in her hand again - and this time, a weapon appeared in Yuzuki's, in retaliation. A double-bladed weapon that looked like Reaper's wings made of ice, fused together at the base in a spiral formation; as Calne Ca tried to sing her great weapon, Yuzuki moved one end forward to strike it, and the blade _vanished_ under the blow. Then she closed the distance, and Calne Ca had no opportunity to evade before she brought another strike into her stomach, throwing her across the alleyway until she crashed into the arch of the concert venue's entryway.

With a sigh, Yuzuki's weapon vanished. "You know, I'm being unreasonable," she insisted. "Expecting you to be thinking straight so soon after having been brought back from nonexistence is just... _crass_ of me."

She snapped her fingers with one extended towards Calne Ca - and a short tone emerged from her pocket.

"Call me when you're settled down."

Turning, she leapt away, and Calne Ca was left alone in Silent Beat.

After a long moment, she tried to rise; her scarred hand seized the wall at her side, using it as support to get her to her feet. Once she was upright, she tried to step forward... and nearly toppled over, forced to seize the wall again. She hadn't had these legs for years before her erasure. She was as new on them as they day she died.

Tears welled in her eyes as she realized what had happened to her.

And with her opponent proclaiming herself Composer, she forced herself to turn her sorrow to rage.

"Yuzuki Yukari..."

**Undying Light  
** **Chapter Closed**


	31. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> Certain events in Another Day are a brain cramp at the best of times, but they did give me an excellent idea.

Miku was unsurprised to feel the wind howling atop 39 when she stepped out of the elevator. Not only did its altitude mean that the buildings of DIVA did not obstruct the gales, but today had called for an uncomfortable amount of wind even at ground level, enough that Miku felt almost cold despite the clear skies letting the sun beat down on her. She was wearing her outfit from the Reappearance concert, and had gotten her fair share of attention on her way here; the mutterings she'd heard as she'd come to 39 speculated that she was on her way to film some public music video with Glory Music, or had been invited to some event elsewhere in Diola and didn't want to be in a rush to change.

The truth was much simpler; she was trying to get the attention of someone in particular.

Thankfully, the wind was blowing straight into the elevator box. As Miku stepped up to the edge of the building, her hair and sleeves pulled back by the gale, she could feel the resistance, and was confident that if she should loose her footing and be dragged by the wind, she would be dragged to safety atop the building. With a heavy sigh, she raised her hands at her sides, closed her eyes against the sunlight, and began to sing.

" _Senbonzakura, yoru ni magire  
Kimi no koe mo todokanai yo  
Koko wa utage hagane no ori  
Sono dantoudai o tobiorite..._"

Through the wind howling past her, she heard a footstep on the rooftop behind her - yet the elevator had not returned to the lower floors since her arrival. Miku loosed a deep breath, letting her arms fall.

"Black Rock Shooter. Or should I call you... Viialless."

She turned round, opening her eyes. The Producer stood there, but she did not look like Miku had met her before; gone was the black longcoat with scant garments beneath it, the uneven twintails that Calne Ca had sought to emulate. Her black hair was done in braids that were meant to drape over her shoulders, but the braids had come unravelled, leaving them in messy spikes that lashed behind her in the wind; she wore a black tube top that covered more than just her modesty, and a pair of long black trousers just loose enough to give her mobility. Her arms were bare of handwear, exposing skin so fair it could not be safely tanned; her feet were covered not by durable boots, but a casual pair of black loafers.

If Miku had not met her before - had not been witness to the fire that now burned in her eyes - the vocalist would swear there was no relation.

At her address, the Producer bowed her head. "I suspected you would make the connection."

"You put that file on my desk," Miku accused.

"Yes," she confirmed. "Your desire to know about her told me you would make use of the information. Once I was confident it would not affect your own creations, I placed it where I knew you would see it." She raised her gaze. "This was the form I took during that Game. Call me Viialless - if it please you."

Miku approached the Producer - hastened by the wind pulling upon her sleeves. "You were Calne Ca's partner."

"I was," Viialless confirmed.

"I thought the Producer was meant to watch without interfering," Miku accused. "Why would you-?"

"The Fallen Angel."

Miku blinked. "What?"

Viialless stepped forward, passing Miku and approaching the rooftop's edge. "Sing Love had broken contact, and not appeared in the Higher Plane for well over a month. It was suspected she was preparing measures that would earn her Fall. As Producer of DIVA, it was my responsibility to determine her intentions, and act to strike her down if she should prove deserving of erasure. But if she knew I was watching, she would not act until the instant I was not. So I concealed myself - in the form of a Player."

She turned to Miku. "When Sing Love began to act, the Game Master was a cruel Reaper intending to wreak havoc upon the Realground from the Underground. And to my fortune, I found a partner - a victim of cruelty, who would not act to such whims."

"Chiyuki Shiie."

Viialless nodded. "On hearing that a mission's clearance did not require the efforts of every Player, she refused to attempt missions that would harm others. She and I roamed the Underground, and on the third day, I saw her. Sing Love - tormenting Reapers."

"And the illegal Players?" Miku asked.

"We encountered them on the fourth day - after we saved the Reapers that Sing Love had threatened." She shook her head. "But Shiie refused to report them, believing that their accomplishment of the missions would spare the Players the cruelty of the Game Master's whims."

Miku shook her head. "Did you know?" she demanded. "That Cyber Diva would punish her just for knowing about them?"

"I did not know," Viialless insisted. "Every Composer's rule is different. What constitutes complicity with an illegal Player in one Underground may not be considered as such in another. Cyber Diva was not in violation of her station, but the Reapers considered her a cruel Composer - and with just cause." She closed her eyes. "That knowledge be a sign of complicity is a strictest measure. Perhaps, somehow, I believed that it was possible... but Shiie was firm. I could not expect her to heed my faintest suspicions without showing her who I was. What I was."

"And that was so criminal?" Miku protested.

"My priority was Sing Love," Viialless defended. "When she showed herself again, I let Shiie's ignorance lure Sing Love into revealing her motives - and her responsibility for the illegal Players. And then, on the final day - when the Game Master faced the illegal Players in person - Sing Love instructed Shiie to come here, under threat of torment to which erasure could not compare. I was forced to choose between the erasure of a Fallen Angel ere she could inflict any further suffering to the Underground, or the protection of one Player who I was not certain would be condemned for what she knew."

"You chose to erase Sing Love first," Miku observed.

Viialless nodded. "I knew that Shiie's actions had put the Reapers in her debt. If she _was_ to be punished, her punishment would be lessened, that their debt be repaid. We sought out Sing Love, and fought her as Players - and when she made to erase Shiie, I threw myself in her path, feigned erasure, and confronted her as Black Rock Shooter. When Cyber Songman issued the sentence, I thought Shiie spared from her suffering... until Zaha was entered into the Game."

"Zaha?"

"He killed Shiie, after his allies ruined her. She was adamant on returning the favour with his erasure." Viialless turned away. "Fortune had blessed her to that point; Cyber Diva's terms, though unfair given precedent, were within her ability to meet, and had she continued as she had to that point, she would have met them. But she put all her resources into Zaha's erasure - at the exclusion of all else."

She held out her hand off the edge of 39. "Cyber Songman rendered her fee non-refundable. She, whose existence had been denied out of unfounded paranoia, is forgotten by all who knew her in life. It was her intention to reclaim her fee, and then accept peaceful erasure. But when she failed to meet Cyber Diva's terms, she chose to be a Reaper - desperate to be remembered.

"That is why she protected one of the Players, when she served as Game Master."

Miku stepped back. "What?"

"The Apostles, who served under Zaha, were entered into the Game," Viialless proclaimed. "Among them, Taiko Nafe had been forced into service, under the pretense of repaying a debt she did not owe. Her death was caused by the other Apostles, and swiftly followed by their own. When Shiie realized this, she sought to see Nafe returned to life. The others, cruel souls who refused to change, she intended to erase, and then promptly follow - with her erasure, Nafe would be revived, and remember her sacrifice."

"But... Nafe was killed," Miku realized. "By one of the others."

Viialless nodded. "And Calne Cantus became shunned in the Underground, for her irrevocable transformation, and her achievement of 100% erasure. Remembered, perhaps - but feared, and loathed. Her service in the Reapers had been for naught." She looked back to look at Miku. "But now, you have immortalized her memory in song. Even if no one knows of Calne Ca - of Chiyuki Shiie - you have written of her experiences, and shared them with the world."

Miku took a step forward. "And what about you? What have you done, all this time? You could have..." She shook her head. "You could have spoken to her. You're speaking to _me!_ You could have told her you had survived! You could have apologized for keeping this from her!"

"I made you an offer."

That utterance caught Miku off-guard. "Offer?"

"The Higher Plane offered you a place as an Angel," Viialless reminded her, "for your perseverance, compassion, and inspiration. Although you refused, the offer was made all the same. And so you are regarded as equal to the Composer. You stand among the living, and so interference with the Game is outside of your purview, but if I, as Producer of DIVA, deem there is information you deserve to hear, I may share it - directly." She shook her head. "Shiie sought to be erased. She served as a Reaper content. The Higher Plane never made her such an offer. And so I cannot act to address her, unless she means to defile the Reaper's Game."

"The Taboo Noise-"

"A crime among Reapers, to be punished by Reapers," Viialless proclaimed. "Angels will Fall for sharing the secrets of Taboo Noise with Reapers, but it was not shared with her; she learned it by attempt, failure, and repetition."

Miku shook her head faintly. "She thought you were erased. She thought her survival at the cost of your existence."

"And when her suffering came because I did not stop it, I tried to repent," Viialless insisted. "As a Player, I acted as though my entry fee had been my emotions - buried deep, that they required extreme provocation to be roused." Her gaze went back over DIVA. "When Shiie's fee was rendered non-refundable, I condemned myself to continue that existence, and have buried my emotions since - where only the greatest of provocation can rouse them."

"You think **that** can make up for everything she's gone through?" Miku demanded. "Her heart was tortured by every experience she endured, and you think hiding your emotions can make up for that!?"

"...Will you issue a punishment that can?"

There was a sudden sorrow in the Producer's voice; a bead of liquid trailed down her cheek, and Miku realized she was crying.

"The Higher Plane sees her suffering as inconsequential. I am responsible for the loss of her entry fee - her existence burned away from the Realground - yet they refuse to punish me for it. Everything she has gone through - her Cantus transformation, her isolation in Machine Muzik, her attempts at Taboo psycho-animation... I could have prevented any one of them, and I failed to. But the Higher Plane will not punish me. And now she has undergone the greatest suffering of all, and I cannot even supplicate myself before her and beg her forgiveness."

She shook her head, flinging tears aside.

"But at last someone is willing to see me repent."

Black Rock Shooter turned, swinging her right arm as she did - and something flew towards Miku. Her left hand came up, catching it before it could strike her, and she lowered her hand before her, that she could open it and see what lay in her palm. It was a pin, deep black with a pattern of white, an ovular shape like a stylized eye of some sort. As she raised her gaze to the Producer again, that brilliant blue flame ignited in her eye, and Miku felt a _shift_ that she had gone without since she had returned to life.

A shift of frequencies.

"What are you doing?!"

 _The pins you wear in the Realground still hold the same psychs you used as a Player_ _._ She was speaking as Producer, now, her lips unmoving but her voice heard in Miku's mind. _Returned to Noise frequency, they will answer your call once again - if you have a pact to give them power. Make a pact with the pin, and turn your psychs upon me. Punish me. Make me suffer..._

Tears continued to pour from her right eye, even as her left was alight.

_...as Chiyuki Shiie suffers._

Miku's gaze fell to the pin in her grasp. Hesitation had her - but only for an instant. Her grip closed upon the pin, and a blue light surged up around her - the light of a Player's pact. Without loosing her grip upon the pin, she seized her top, unfastening it and pulling it off; her bust was bound with a sarashi beneath, over which lay suspenders that held her weighty skirt in place. Her stomach still bore a prominent scar from the aftermath of the concert at which she had last worn this outfit, and as she drew it away from her right side, the pins she wore upon that strap were bared.

Blossom. Butterfly. Fan Dance. Maple. Azure Snow. Camellia.

She cast the top aside, letting the wind take it; The pin with which she had forged her pact was switched to her right hand, briefly, before she affixed it to the left strap - beneath her Player Pin.

Then she brought her right hand back, and then swung it skyward - and a pillar of ice ripped out of the ground from beneath the Producer. The strike flung her into the air, and Miku lashed her hand before her twice once, twice, thrice; every stroke caused bolts of lightning to manifest in the air, tearing through Black Rock Shooter and slowing her fall. As she hit the ground, Miku thrust her hand forth, and crimson flames appeared around her, searing at her as she fell to her knees.

There was no effort to flee them, and after a long moment Miku cease the flames and swept her hand back.

"Don't just sit there and take it!"

The Producer raised her gaze, eye still alight, not understanding. _What...?_

"Calne Ca didn't just let it fall upon her, did she?!" Miku reprimanded. "She fought it, as best she could - _as best she knew how!_ You think you can repent by standing there and letting me hurt you!? That's not penance, that's _cowardice!_ "

After a long moment, Black Rock Shooter got to her feet - and the blue flame in her left eye _expanded_ , burning across her body entire. Her garments were seared away, leaving her standing bare atop 39; after a long moment the flames began to recede, and different garments - ruined garments - took their place. A hooded black jacket whose sleeves had been torn free without regard for the condition of the fabric; black shorts with mounted holsters for a pair of firearms, likewise frayed at the hems; black boots that reached almost to her knees, with damaged gaps in the fabric; black gloves whose palms had been worn straight through, with shredded cuffs halfway up her forearms. Noise lines in steely blue propagated down her thighs, extended across her right arm, reached up her neck until they lined the underside of her jaw.

Her hair shifted, rising into those uneven twintails; short and sharp on her right, long and free on her left.

The flame dissipated from her left eye, and lines surrounded it instead - in the same pattern as the eye on the pin she had given Miku.

 _She said the Higher Plane wouldn't punish her,_ Miku realized. _Then why are her clothes destroyed?_

She had no opportunity to contemplate it; Black Rock Shooter drew the pistols at her hips, black with white stocks and blue at the tip of the barrels, and raised them forward. Miku raised one arm before her, and a black wave appeared around her as the Producer pulled the triggers; blasts of light flew from her weapons, struck Miku's barrier, and were deflected across the skies of DIVA. 

Miku quickly thrust her hand forward, and a sphere of blue water appeared at contact with Black Rock Shooter, striking her and then bouncing away. As she was stumbling back from the blow, Miku manifested another behind her, and her momentum caused it to strike it as well. When she made to dive aside, Miku invoked another in her path, causing her to recoil from it, and then another before she could halt, striking her once more as righted herself.

When she tried to strike the Producer with a fifth, her target leapt clear into the air, twisting wildly before aiming her pistols down and firing. Miku leapt back, causing the blasts to hit the ground where she had been standing; then she raised her hand, and rapid-fire shots of her own soared up towards Black Rock Shooter. The bombardment was rapid enough to change the trajectory of her fall, preventing her from landing at point-blank with Miku; as she touched down, the barrage subsided, and she quickly turned her pistols forward and fired.

A step to the side was enough to evade the first pair of shots; the second had Miku dropping to one knee, and then quickly rising again. She promptly swept her hand up to invoke another pillar of ice, and Black Rock Shooter's third attack shattered it; by the time the shards started falling, Miku's hand was already moving, and another watery orb appeared between the Producer's hands, forcing them apart and leaving her stumbling back as a flame ignited beneath her.

The blaze was enough to harm her, but not enough to incapacitate her. She brought her weapons together, and a blue light washed over them, expanding wide. Miku's focus on the flame faltered as she realized Black Rock Shooter was holding a broad, multibarrelled weapon; she raised her barrier as the Producer fired, rapid shots showering forward and vanishing against her defense. When the onslaught ended, the weapon vanished, leaving her again with just her pistols; Miku quickly brought her arm up, and a pillar rose up beneath the Producer before she could try to avoid it.

Black Rock Shooter united her pistol again while she still had upward momentum, and this time the light expanded long. She wove away when Miku tried to fire shots at her, and when she landed, she had what appeared to be a _rifle_ in her grip, which she quickly brought forward. Miku invoked another pillar between the two of them, and then dove aside as the Producer fired; the shot tore through her ice and then _kept going_ , vanishing over the horizon. As the vocalist righted herself, Black Rock Shooter brandished her pistols again, and aimed one at her.

Miku swept her hand across, and lightning surged forward just in front of the Producer - striking her hand, rather than her body. Her grip faltered on her pistol, which was knocked aside by the bolt, and with a gasp she brought the other one forward; Miku sent a bolt in the other direction, striking that one aside as well as she got to her feet. With a curse, she swept out her left hand, and a katana appeared in her grip; a black blade with an edge of blue, slightly jagged with a forward cut a little more than halfway up the blade.

She charged forward with the blade at the ready, and Miku raised her barrier to stop the first swing; Black Rock Shooter only continued to lash against it, moving too quickly for Miku to risk lowering her guard and striking back. Thinking quickly, she took a step forward, and the wave made contact with the Producer; she stumbled away in pain, proving an opportunity for Miku to retaliate with a bombardment of shots. The Producer quickly leapt over her, hoping to get her from behind, but Miku raised a pillar between them as she landed, and the strike hit the ice, sending cracks across its surface but not shattering it until the second blow.

By the time the second blow connected, Miku had manifested an orb of water on its other side, and the Producer's attempted charge slammed clean into it. As she stumbled from the connection, Miku briefly blazed her with her flame; as soon as Black Rock Shooter had her footing, she found her weapon arm struck with another barrage of shots, forcing her to twist away.

Her blade was brought around with the momentum, trying to strike Miku - and a bolt lashed across her arm instead, catching her off-guard for an instant. That instant was all Miku needed, invoking another icy pillar to strike the Producer's hand; the blue-edged blade was knocked from her grip, turning in the air. Black Rock Shooter tumbled back, falling to her knees as her weapon clattered to the rooftop on Miku's side of the pillar; she seized it in her left hand before the ice faded, charging forward, and the Producer flinched, closing her eyes against the pain she anticipated.

It didn't come.

Slowly, she opened her eyes to find the blade hovering above her brow.

**Penance at Last  
** **Chapter Closed**


	32. Peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Aurya-  
> I promise I'll make it up to you guys with Bacterial Contamination in a future UG Vocaloid story, but I can't end this better than I ended this chapter and I don't want to undermine that.

There was silence atop 39, save for the howling of the wind. Black Rock Shooter knelt, defenseless; and Miku stood before her, the Producer's own weapon in her grasp. After a long moment, the aggressor pulled it back, lowering it at her side.

"Do you truly think she still suffers, in erasure?"

Black Rock Shooter blinked, not understanding. _What...?_

"Is that why you expect me to strike you down?" Miku demanded. "Because you think her suffering continues, even now? You think erasure does her some harm?"

* * *

"Leave this to us. Please."

The Composer glanced down at the modulator decal beneath her, and it was deactivated with a thought. Its removal could be attended to at another time - it wasn't like being reactivated upon the floor of an open-air venue was going to help anyone who wasn't touching it. Calne Ca watched her retreat across the other side of the backstage area, going to speak with the Reapers who had assembled for the concert; she needed them to be aware of the threat that the outsider posed.

Hatsune turned to her friends. "Help me up," she insisted. "I need to get home. We _all_ need to stay out of DIVA until this Game is over."

Sakine got her to her feet, careful not to touch her affected limb. "Sounds like a plan," she agreed. "But give us a moment to make sure the crowd's gone. If some fan tries to get your attention, they're going to grab your arm."

"Point." Hatsune's arm had been broken and healed with the Composer's power - but the only way that power would run its course was if the affected area wasn't exerted in the meantime.

The other members of Glory Music retreated; once she was sure they wouldn't notice her, Calne Ca downshifted to the Realground. Hatsune reached for her stomach, where Yuzuki had slashed at her body; the wound was closed, but there was still an unpleasant-looking scar where it had been. "That's not gonna go away." She winced, having made contact with it and finding it still tender. "It hurts... Now I know what a Game Master feels like."

Slowly, Calne Ca started to step into the backstage area.

"Speak... of the devil... and she... shall appear."

Hatsune turned to her - and there was terror in her eyes. " _Calne Ca!?_ "

She halted in mid-step. "You... remember me?"

The words seemed to confuse Hatsune. "What...?"

A smile rose on Calne Ca's face. "You remember me, like this?" Quiet laughter - _joyful_ laughter - poured from her mouth. "Then it wasn't for nothing..."

Hatsune stepped forward. "How are you here?"

Calne Ca bowed her head. "Yuzuki Yukari..."

"The Reaper from Utau City?" Hatsune shook her head. "She brought you back?"

"The Composer has enough Imagination to reconstruct scattered Soul," Calne Ca admitted. "Her wings may have expired in DIVA, where she is still scored as a Harrier, but she is Composer of an Underground all the same." She shook her head. "She reconstructed me... expecting me to serve her as a Cantus. I had given up. I thought no one would ever remember me as anything else..."

She raised her gaze to Hatsune. "But you remember me... The real me."

Hatsune set a hand on Calne Ca's shoulder, worried. "What do you mean? You said it... wasn't for nothing. _What_ wasn't...?"

"Did Yowane tell you? About me?" Calne Ca closed her eyes. "About what I lost?"

"Your entry fee as a Player... was taken for good," Hastune murmured. "No one remembers you."

"No one in the Realground," Calne Ca confirmed. "And what friends I made in the Underground have long been erased. All anyone remembers is Calne Cantus." She stepped back. "I thought you would be the same, after I terrorized you at Naka's orders. But you saw the real me - and remembered the real me."

She set her burned arm over her heart. "Now, I can accept my erasure at peace..."

"What are you saying?" Hatsune pleaded. "Why would you be erased? You're here - you have wings, don't you? Otherwise you couldn't be in the RG! Why would you-?"

Calne Ca raised her gaze. "Look at me," she insisted. "All of me."

She held out her prosthetic arm and closed her fingers into a fist; she shifted on her prosthetic feet, a single shaky step. Her scarred arm was raised, her hand set over her blind eye.

"This existence... it hurts." She let her hand fall. "The Reapers only remember Calne Cantus. The Players always feared me when I made to fight. And my body cannot do all I ask of it." She shook her head. "But when I was erased, it ended. The pain. The suffering. Even unremembered, I was at peace. Now that I know I will be remembered... I will accept it, with peace."

Hatsune took a deep breath, setting a hand against her chest. "...If that's what you want, I won't try to change your mind," she insisted. "Go to Haku - she'll give it if you-"

"No," Calne Ca admitted. "There's still... one more thing I must do."

"What?"

"Yuzuki Yukari," Calne Ca insisted. "She erased two Players after Megurine came to your aid. It was score enough to keep her alive - through tomorrow." She shook her head. "If Akita cannot restrain her, I will see to her erasure... or she will see to mine."

She made to step away. "And I will accept it - from her, or from Yowane."

* * *

"She was at _peace_ ," Miku proclaimed. "Erasure _ended_ her suffering - mind, body, and heart. Her sole regret was being unremembered - and now that she knows that she _is_ remembered, her regret has been wiped away."

She turned the Producer's weapon in hand, holding it out to her. "If I erase you, all I do is make you see that for yourself."

Black Rock Shooter let her head fall. _Have I truly been punished enough, to repent for what I did to her?_

"You think you're the first person to take out your feelings on your clothes?" Miku argued.

_What?_

Miku set a hand on her left arm, just past the tattered edge of what had once been a sleeve. "This isn't style," she proclaimed. "It's damage. You said the Higher Plane wouldn't punish you - which means you did this yourself." She shook her head. "It's a sign of torment. A want to hurt yourself, and an unwillingness to do so. So you attack a proxy. It helps, in the moment, but in time it comes back. I was fortunate enough to have someone ease my pain before it turned ugly. You didn't."

She stepped back. "And you've been carrying that torment since Shiie lost her entry fee. Haven't you, Viialless?"

The Producer bowed her head, and tears began to fall from her face anew. The Noise lines started to fade from her arm and legs, from her neck and face; the blade in Miku's hand, and the pistols she had struck aside, vanished as they returned to the Realground. The tattered clothes that the Producer wore crumbled away, and a rush of blue light washed over her in their place; dressed as she had been when she arrived, Viialless got to her feet.

"Are you sure?"

"Calne Ca is at peace," Miku insisted. " _Shiie_ is at peace. Put your mind at ease."

Viialless nodded. "Alright," she conceded. "Thank you."

She turned away - and as her body faded, upshifting above the Realground, Miku saw radiant, feathered wings appear upon her back.

  
** The Precedent of Hatsune Miku **  
**Machine Muzik**


End file.
